Attacks on journalists, when will it stop?

It clearly conveys that the government is not in favor of democratic reforms because journalists represent free speech, and free speech is crucial to democracy.

Why the attacks on journalists continue

A number of factors account for the persistence of the attacks against journalists in the country. Key among such factors are the following:

Culture of impunity for crimes against journalists, poor or lack of safety training for journalists and poor standards.

Journalists assaulted

On March 27, 2018, one of Ghana fearless journalists, Latif Idris, was brutally beaten to near death at the headquarters of the Ghana Police Service.

The journalist was not beaten by thugs. He was beaten by police personnel, the same people he would have had to run to if he had been attacked by hoodlums.

His crime was for doing his job as a journalist by asking police officers a question at a time the officers had been deployed to maintain law and order by dispersing a supposedly rowdy crowd.

Surprisingly, to the police, the approaches for maintaining law and order on that day included the resort to physical violence against a harmless journalist.

For purposes of evidence, below are eleven other incidents of attacks on journalists from January 2017 to March 2018:

February 27, 2017 – Kotoko Express Reporter attacked: A photojournalist of the Asante Kotoko Expressnewspaper, Gideon Botchway was subjected to physical abuse by a fan and a steward of Ashgold football club in Obuasi during a match between Ashgold and Asante Kotoko.

March 5, 2017– Photo journalist attacked, expelled from stadium: Officials of Accra Great Olympics attacked a photojournalist, Senyuidzorm Adadevor, at the Accra Sports Stadium during the Accra Great Olympics-WAFA football match.

March 6, 2017 – Soldiers attack a freelance journalist: Soldiers attacked a freelance journalist, Kendrick Ofei during Ghana’s 60th Independence Day celebration at the Independence Square in Accra.

June 27, 2017 – Journalist physically attacked: A journalist, Isaac Nsiah Foster with Otec FM in Kumasi was attacked by workers at a construction site where he had gone to investigate complaints by local residents about the siting of a project meant for a fuel station.

July 2, 2017 – TV3 crew attacked: A three-member crew from TV (Myepaul Sowah, Richmond Tanoh and Peter Asare were assaulted by some suspected land guards while investigating encroachment on a piece of public land at Teshie, Accra.

July 3: Photo journalist assaulted: Some supporters of Asante Kotoko football club attacked a photojournalist with Hearts News,a bi-weekly published by Accra Hearts of Oak Football Club during a ceremonial match between the two clubs. The hooligans also seized the camera of the victim, Daniel Anane Boakye-Yiadom and destroyed it.

October 10, 2017- Chief assaults journalist over WhatsApp criticism: The Omanhene of the Wassa Akropong, Tetre Akuamoah Sekyim II,forced Larry Saint, a journalist with Rivers FM, to kneelin the sun for hours for criticizing him on WhatsApp.

October 18, 2017 – Newspaper office attacked by rampaging youth: A group of irate youth calling themselves Kumasi Youth Assocaition (KuYA), attacked the regional office of the Daily Guide newspaper, in Kumasi Kumasi, over publications carried by the newspaper on Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Dec 2, 2017 – Thugs storm radio station, attack presenter: Thugs stormed the studio of Radio Justice, based in Tamale, and assaulted the presenter of a programme and his three panelists, disrupting the live broadcast in the process. The attackers injured the presenter, Yunus Yiripha, and vandalized the console, microphones, computers and furniture.

December 21, 2017 – NPP security guards assault journalists: Four journalists were physically attacked by some security officers manning the NPP party Headquarters in Accra. The four journalists from TV3, Citi FM and Ghanaweb.com were brutalised by the security guards for covering a protest at the premises of the party headquarters.

February 23, 2018 – Police brutalise journalist: Christopher Kevin Asima, a presenter of A1 Radio in Bolgatanga, was attacked by police while he was covering a fire outbreak incident.

May 2018 - Hajia Fati, a sympathiser of the NPP created a scene at the party's headquarters after slapping a journalist with Accra based radio station Adom FM, when Sammy Crabbe went to pick his nomination forms.

She said, she slapped Ama Sekyiwaa because the reporter did not introduce herself adding that she had not sought her permission before taking pictures.

Sadly from all the incidents listed above and several others, no perpetrators have been punished. At best, the cases die with mere assurances of investigations by the police.