Affail Monney, the President of the GJA said Caleb Kudah breached Article 13 of the Association's constitution.
ADVERTISEMENT
Caleb Kudah breach code of ethics: GJA General Secretary 'clashes' with Affail Monney
Kofi Yeboah, the General Secretary, of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has jumped to the defense of the journalist with Citi FM/Citi TV, Caleb Kudah who was arrested by police officers on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, for allegedly filming at the premises of the National Security Ministry and accused of breaching the Association's code of ethics.
President of GJA, Affail Monney
Recommended articles
"Caleb erred as far as our ethics is concerned. He clearly breached the ethics relative to Article 13 of our own code of ethics which specifies journalists should take pictures through fair, straight forward and honest means unless tampered with by national interest.
"His interest here is not so clear. From the face of it, we believe he erred," he said.
He explained that Kudah flouted the law of the land which bans video coverage of security installations.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the violation of Article 126 by the journalist may have triggered the use of excessive force during their arrest.
He noted: "Caleb shouldn’t have filmed without permission and Caleb should have realized that place is a security zone and in every security zone, the security laws apply. It is a no-go area as far as photography is concerned and his violation of regulation might have triggered the overreaction from the security operatives."
But the General Secretary of the GJA disagreed with Affail Monney and said he [Caleb] did not breach any code as long as he acted in the interest of the public.
In a Facebook post, he said: "Insofar as the public/national interest was at stake (as evidenced in his narrative), he was firmly within the bounds of journalism ethics, including Article 13 of the GJA Code of Ethics.
"The nebulous identity of national security cannot, and should not, be allowed to strip the media of its cardinal constitutional mandate under Article 162(5): “All agencies of the mass media shall, at all times, be free to uphold the principles, provisions, and objectives of this Constitution, and SHALL uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people of Ghana."
ADVERTISEMENT
He further asked Ghanaians to "encourage civility and the rule of law, which are trademarks and honorifics of constitutional governance rather than brute and barbarism, which are hallmarks and horrific of military juntas."
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
Kasoa shooting: Suspect identified as National Security Operative — Court documents
Goldfields Ghana appoints first female GM in Ghana's mining history
Let's contribute to ensuring a peaceful and successful election to safeguard our democracy - Akufo Addo
Ban on drumming and noise-making in Accra commences from May 6 - AMA
Voter ID card replacement to commence, May 30 - EC
Kwadaso MP apologizes for alleged bribery of EC officers during Ejisu by-election
GES expresses concern over surge in body arts among students
GRA terminates 2 SML contracts
