He said much as journalists reserve the right to free in their line of duty, they must ensure fairness to the rights of the people they report on.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your rights are not more important than others – NMC Chair to journalists
Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) has called on journalists to be circumspect in their line of duty.
Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, Chairman of National Media Commission
Recommended articles
Speaking at the World Press Freedom Day in Accra, he said journalists must be allowed to do their work without any interference.
“Anyone of us can say anything we want to say and nobody should prevent us from doing that. But after we have said what want to say, if it offends the sensitivity and sensibility of other people we must pay compensation because our right is no more important than the rights of anybody,” he said.
In the latest press freedom ranking by Journalists Without Borders, Ghana ranked 60th with a score of 67.43.
ADVERTISEMENT
The report cited government’s intolerance, a situation that forced journalists to engage in heavy self-censorship in the line with their work.
Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh with Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah
Pulse Ghana
“Although the country is considered a regional leader in democratic stability, journalists have experienced growing pressures in recent years. To protect their jobs and their security, they increasingly resort to self-censorship, as the government shows itself intolerant of criticism,” the World Press Freedom indicated in its latest ranking released May 3,2022.
However, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the low ranking of Ghana is due to a change in methodology.
In a statement copied to the media, the Information Minister said it welcomes the RSF report as a baseline reference document against which press freedom in the country may be gauged in the coming years.
ADVERTISEMENT
The government statement however focused heavily on the methodology used by RSF in the ranking, noting that the change in methodology significantly accounted for the drop.
It cited the drop in ranking for a number of countries including the Netherlands which dropped from 5th in 2021 to 28th in 2022 in the global ranking.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
NPP blasted dynamite in the Volta Region to scare voters in 2016 — Hopeson Adorye
NPP has done so much and deserves to win in the 2024 elections — Nana Addo
US court jails Ghanaian couple 25 years each for killing 5-year-old son
Mahama is the only President who solved dumsor – Minority
Dr. Bawumia takes campaign to Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions from May 8
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
