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The Minister for Communication, Samuel Nartey George, has pledged to take regulatory action against popular Kumasi-based Lawson TV/FM for what he described as the unethical broadcast of a sexual abuse case involving a 17-year-old girl.
The broadcast, aired on Friday, 8 August, featured the teenager recounting a deeply sensitive case of sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by a 66-year-old man when she was just 7 years old. Shockingly, the victim’s identity, including her full face, was not concealed.
Speaking in an interview with Joy FM, the Minister strongly condemned the station for failing to protect the victim’s privacy, describing the incident as a serious breach of journalistic ethics.
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He vowed to take decisive measures, noting that the Gender Minister had also taken a keen interest in the matter and would act to safeguard the minor.
He said:
The NMC has the constitutional mandate to review content, but that content is streamed using a national resource spectrum which we regulate at the NCA under the Ministry. There is a clause in every frequency authorisation that allows the NCA to suspend or revoke the licence in the interest of national security and public safety.
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Sam George further criticised the station for putting the victim and the alleged perpetrator in the same room during a live broadcast, turning a serious matter into public spectacle. He vowed to sanitise the media space to rid it of outlets that endanger vulnerable groups, especially children.
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In a statement, Lawson FM/TV apologised, attributing the lapse to a production oversight. The station claimed it had worked with the police, who arrested the suspect live on air, and confirmed that the victim had since received medical care. It also appealed to the public to delete any copies of the broadcast.