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Ghana ALERT: Newspaper heavily fined for defamation

Vivian Affoah
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A Fast Track High Court in the Ghanaian capital Accra on February 27, 2014, fined privately-owned newspaper, Daily Guide, an amount of GH¢250,000 (about US$ 100,000 ) in damages, for publishing a defamatory article against the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.

The presiding judge, Justice Abodakpi also slapped the newspaper with an additional cost of GH¢15,000 (about US$6000).

According to MFWA’s correspondent, the newspaper in its March 2, 2011, edition published an article titled “Asiedu Nketia’s Plush Mansions” in which it alleged that Nketiah had used his position as chairman of a state-owned power generation entity, Bui Power Authority, to divert materials to put up his personal building.

In the said article, the newspaper quoted Nketiah as saying “I’m not talking to you because anytime you call and I tell you the truth about what I know, you still go ahead and publish things against me so you may go and publish what you want to publish,’ he said amidst threats that ‘I will take my decision. If it is libellous, I will deal with you” when they contacted him for his side of the story.

The newspaper went ahead and published the story. Nketiah subsequently sued it and its publisher, Western Publication Limited for libel and demanded exemplary damages of GH¢1 million (about US$400,000).

This is the second newspaper to be fined by a court this month. On February 4, Justice Uuter Paul Dery, a Accra Fast Track High Court judge fined a privately-owned newspaper The Informer an amount of GH¢ 300,000 (about US$120,000) in damages and cost for publishing a defamatory article against a timber processing company, Evans Timbers.

The said article, titled, “Why Evans Timbers Got Mpiani to Collapse One-Stop Collection Point” was published in the January 13, 2010 issue of the newspaper. The article alleged that the then Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani used his position and his friendship with the owner of the timber company Evans Adusei, to help the company to clear goods at the port without proper documentation. It is also said the timber company also under-invoiced and evaded taxes.

Considering the Ghanaian media environment, these fines are quite severe and could seriously affect the operations of the newspapers. The MFWA regrets these incidents and will encourage people to resort to the statutory regulatory body, the National Media Commission, in resolving disputes with the media. At the same time, we call on the Ghanaian media and journalists to always adhere to ethical standards in their work.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Connect with us

 Twitter:        @MFWAALERTS
 Facebook:    Media Foundation for West Africa

Image credit: Modern Ghana

BEGINNING A LONG WALK TO INTERNET RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS IN AFRICA

Vivian Affoah
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In September 2013, a group of Africans huddled together at the Multimedia University of Nairobi in Kenya. Their discussion did not focus on the recent Westgate bomb attacks; instead they discussed freedom and specifically, rights and freedoms online. The collective desire was one for a walk—a long walk to ensuring Internet rights and freedoms. From this discussion the idea to develop an “African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms” was born.

In February 2014, a group of organisations gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa to highlight key online rights and freedoms, as well as existing challenges—both African and global— to these rights and freedoms. Meeting participants included Internet experts, human rights experts and ordinary citizens from across Africa. The group debated those rights to be enshrined in the African Declaration and worked to develop a Draft African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. Once the draft declaration was prepared, the document was released for public consultation — the website www.africaninternetrights.org was set up to invite public comment for those voices online in Africa and around the world to add their ideas to the document, and the draft Declaration was presented at a number of events where those voices still without access to the Internet could critique the document orally.

After extensive input (including over 50 written text contributions) and many iterations of the draft, the period of public consultation is coming to an end. The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedom is ready. The bride is about to step out of the chambers and to begin her walk. The long walk to Internet Rights and Freedoms is beginning and not just in Africa, but across the world.

The Declaration comprises key principles, applications and calls to action. The principles do not seek to exclude but to raise urgency around online issues, including: openness; access and affordability; freedom of opinion and expression; the right to information; freedom of assembly and association; cultural and lingual diversity; the right to development; privacy; security; the right to due process; and a democratic governance framework. The applications lay out key actions that can be taken towards the realisation of these ideals. The calls to action call on a wide range of public, private, and not-for-profit stakeholders—African national governments, pan-African and African regional organisations and institutions, international organisations, media, civil society, private companies, the technical community, and academic and research institutions—to work to ensure that these rights and freedoms are respected online.

In the Declaration, everyone has a part to play. You have a part to play.

The World Wide Web Foundation, via the Web We Want campaign, is committed to the Declaration. We are not alone. Others have joined us. The Declaration has walked to the third Africa Internet Governance Forum in Abuja, Nigeria; to the Alliance for Affordable Internet national coalition workshops in Nigeria; and to the office of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. In the next weeks, the Declaration will walk to the global Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey; to Highway Africa in Grahamstown, South Africa; to the Web We Want Festival at the Southbank Centre in London, England; and to the African Union ICT Ministerial meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.

It is your time to join the walk. We are counting on you to endorse the African Declaration in September. We are counting on you to encourage other organisations and entities the world over, who espouse the principles contained within the Declaration, to do the same. Realising these ideals will be dependent on us, and applications are needed at the state, community, company and technical levels.

The African Declaration has started the long walk to Internet rights and freedoms in Africa and across the globe. But this is only the beginning; Africans cannot complete this walk alone. Governments all over the world are invited to join. Companies are needed in this walk. The technical community cannot be overlooked, and academic and research institutions cannot be underestimated. Which African country will be the first adopt the Declaration? Who will be the champion? Who will lead the walk?

Credit:  Webwewant.org.

Ghana: MFWA Bemoans Resurgence of Indecent Language in Political Discourse

Vivian Affoah
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The Media Foundation for West Africa is very much appalled by the resurgence of insults and other forms of indecent expression in political discourse in Ghana within the past few days.

What makes the current situation extremely regrettable is that the perpetrators of the use of offensive language on radio stations are among the leadership of political parties in the country. While the resort to hate speech and abusive language by party foot soldiers and serial callers is also worrying, the involvement of party leaders in such conduct becomes particularly disturbing.

A case in point in the current spate of the resort to abusive language in political debates is the recent exchanges between the National Chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Dr. Nii Armah Josiah-Aryeh and the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. The ongoing leadership election by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has also witnessed the use of highly intemperate language among some leading figures of the party against one another.

The MFWA is equally appalled by the unethical and unprofessional conduct of some presenters of morning shows and political discussion programmes who are allowing their platforms to be used by affiliates of the various political parties to abuse opponents and competitors. A number of presenters are also becoming notorious for urging on politicians to abuse each other in the name of making their programmes “hot” and to attract post-programme media attention.

While freedom of expression should and must always thrive, it is important to recognise that the quality of our politics, the development of our governance system and the nation at large, depends on the level of competition of ideas and innovation, and our ability to implement the best of such ideas rather than the capacity of politicians to abuse each other.

The MFWA thus calls on all politicians to focus on debating ideas rather than trading insults. At the same time, we urge the Ghanaian media, to do a lot more enterprise journalism and avoid the practice of allowing their platforms to be used as theatres for insults among politicians.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on February 19, 2014

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Ghana ALERT: Radio station attacked for defying censorship order

Vivian Affoah
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Ghana ALERT: Radio station attacked for defying censorship order

Angry youth numbering about 30 on February 17, 2014, stormed the premises of Gift FM a privately owned radio station at Dormaa Ahenkro – a town in the Brong Ahafo region.

The action of the youth followed a news item aired on an alleged banishment of one Fred Yeboah, by the Dormaa traditional council.

Kwabena Boahene, station manager of Gift FM told the MFWA, the chief of Dormaa, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Nana Agyeman Badu (II) at a gathering on February 17, announced the banishment of Yeboah who is the general manager of the Presbyterian Hospital in the town. The chief then cautioned media men present at the gathering not to carry any news item on the banishment.

Reasons for the action of the chief were not disclosed and remain unknown.

“Because we defied the chief’s orders, the youth attacked us and caused extensive damage to our property and even wanted to set fire to the station with a gallon of petrol they came along with.”, Boahene said.

According to MFWA’s correspondent, the timely intervention of policemen brought the situation under control. Meanwhile an official complaint has been lodged and police are investigating the incident.

The MFWA commends the police for restoring calm and preventing the youth from vandalising the station and for continuing to protect staff of the station since the incident happened.

We also wish to remind all that the Constitution of Ghana guarantees the freedom and independence of the media. The Constitution also explicitly states in Article 162 (2) that: “…there shall be no censorship in Ghana.”

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/MFWAALERTS
Visit our Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

ECOWAS Court Hears Case of Deyda Hydara of The Gambia

Vivian Affoah
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The ECOWAS Court has opened the case of the slain Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydara who was killed by some unknown killers 7 years ago. Hydara a veteran journalist who stands to be one of Gambia’s second generation of media activists was killed and up to date Government of the Gambia have not come out with any tangible findings as to who killed him.

IFJ/FAJ commends the ECOWAS courts for hearing the case. This is not the first time Gambia government was taken to the ECOWAS courts for either the disappearance of journalists , arrest and torture or killing like Deyda’s case.

Read the IFJ/FAJ below.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) today welcomed the hearings of the ECOWAS Court on the killing of Deyda Hydara, former editor and co- proprietor of The Point Newspaper in The Gambia.

The hearings took place today during the session of the ECOWAS Court in the Togolese capital, Lomé. This session of the ECOWAS Court outside of its Abuja Headquarters, was held at the premises of the Supreme Court of Togo. Secretary General of the “Union des Journalistes Indépendants du Togo” (UJIT) an IFJ/FAJ affiliate, Credo Tetteh attended the hearing, representing the IFJ and the FAJ.

The Court heard the Deyda Hydara family representative, as first applicant, and the Republic of The Gambia as the defendant. After the initial deliberations, the case was adjourned to Tuesday, 11th March for the hearing of another witness.

The IFJ-Africa as second applicant has sided with the Hydara Family represented by his son, Deyda Hydara Jr, currently an engineer in London. His father Deyda Hydara a prominent journalist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting by unknown assailants on 16 December, 2004. His killers are still at large. Deyda Jr told the court that he was 11 years old when his father was gunned down. He called on the court to allow him to go back to The Gambia, by guaranteeing his security.

The IFJ and FAJ have always called on The Gambian Government to solicit support from the international community to enable her to establish the truth and to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Author: JFJ/FAJ

Togo ALERT: 19 injured, 12 arrested in student-gendarmes clashes

Vivian Affoah
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Nineteen students sustained injuries on February 13, 2014, when students from the University of Lome clashed with gendarmes on campus over an attempt by the students to demonstrate.

According to MFWA’s correspondent, the students attempted to stage a demonstration to protest an “arbitrary criteria” the university has introduced for granting scholarships.

Since demonstrations have been banned by the university authorities, the gendarmes on campus prevented the students from demonstrating. This led to clashes between the students and the gendarmes. 19 students were injured in the process.

Eight students were subsequently arrested by the gendarmes.

Subsequently on February 14, another group of students attempted to demonstrate to demand the release of their colleagues who were arrested the previous day. Four of the demonstrators were again arrested.

The MFWA is concerned that over the last few years, students demanding better living and learning conditions have been subjected to intimidation, arrests and, indeed, threats of dismissal from the universities in Togo.

We call on the university authorities to recognize the student’s rights to demonstrate.

For more information please contact:
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/MFWAALERTS
Visit our Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

Togo ALERT: Safety of Journalists Worsening

Vivian Affoah
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The safety of journalists in Togo has been worsening over the last six months following a worrying phenomenon of consistent attacks, harassment and other forms of rights violations against journalists in the country. The rights violations, mainly perpetrated by the country’s paramilitary force, the Gendarmerie, have been in the form of physical assault, threats of arrest and kidnapping.

On January 16, 2014 for example, Aného Assiongbon Ayité, a journalist with privately-owned radio station, Océan FM, based in Aného, a community 45 kilometers from the capital, Lome, was arrested and held at the offices of the Gendarmerie for several hours before being released. He was arrested while covering the seizure of what was said to be illegal fuel by the gendarmes.

Around the same period, Kossi Themanou, a journalist with the bi-monthly Focus Info, was beaten by a group of gendarmes in central Lome, when he attempted to take a photograph of the officers while they were seizing gallons of what was said to be adulterated fuel.

According to MFWA’s correspondent, even though Themanou showed the gendarmes his press card, they kicked him from all directions, hit him with the butt of their guns and whipped him with cords. They subsequently took him to offices of the Gendarmerie, where he was subjected to further beatings and threatened with death.

Themanou’s voice recorder was seized, and pictures he took were deleted from his camera before being released hours later. He was admitted at a private clinic in Lomé where he was given medical care.

The cases of Ayité and Thémanou add up to an already long list of violations against journalists in the country within the last six months.

On August 31, 2013, two journalists, Emmanuel Vitus Agbenonwossi and Roger Adzafo of Togoportail.net and Africatopsport newspaper respectively, were kidnapped for six days by heavily armed unknown men suspected to be gendarmes.

The two journalists had gone to the University of Lome following a phone call Adzafo had received asking him to come to the university campus for some information. On arrival, a Toyota Land Cruiser pulled up and the two were forced into the car.

Agbenonwossi and Adzafo were taken to an unknown place and were later taken to meet with some police officers who accused them of “violating the honour of government.” They were subsequently released and warned not to report the kidnapping or police interrogation to anyone or pay with their lives.

The two journalists continued to receive death threats for weeks. Currently, Agbenowossi’s whereabouts is unknown.

Felix Nahm-Tougli, a journalist with privately-owned Radio Legende has also not been seen or heard of by family members since December 17, 2013. Nahm’s predicament followed an interview on his radio station with Poko Amah, a former senior officer of the Togolese Police force, on May 22, 2013.

In the said interview, the former police officer reportedly said, “just as it happened in 1966, the Togolese Armed Forces must live up to their responsibility and play the role of referee so as to compel the Head of State to dialogue with the opposition”.

According to the MFWA’s correspondent, the statement was interpreted by the country’s security forces as constituting a call for insurgency by the army. Nahm subsequently received a series of threats and has not been seen again since December 17, 2013.

The MFWA is deeply concerned about the worsening media freedom situation and the deterioration of safety conditions for journalists in Togo.

We urge the ECOWAS, civil society groups and the international community to put pressure on the Togolese government to improve press freedom in the country. We particularly call on the country’s Security and Civil Protection Minister, Colonel Damehane Yark, to recognize the importance of press freedom to Togo’s democratic efforts and work towards providing great safety for journalists in the country.

For more information please contact:
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA

Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Image Credit:TodayGH

Cote d’ Ivoire Alert: Media regulatory body suspends newspaper

Vivian Affoah
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The Conseil National de la Presse (CNP) on February 10, 2014, suspended the Le Monde d’ Abidjannewspaper for three months.

According to MFWA’s correspondent, a statement issued on February 10, by the CNP accused the newspaper of “publishing insults to an extreme gravity” against the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, in its January 29, issue.

The suspension of the Le Monde d’ Abidjan newspaper brings to five, the number of newspapers the CNP hassanctioned this year.

Meanwhile, the CNP has rejected an appeal by two of four journalists it suspended last month.

Alafé Wakili, manager of the daily L’Intelligent d’ Abidjan newspaper and Traoré Moussa, president of the National Union of Journalists were on January 20, suspended for six months and their professional identity cards withdrawn.

The two journalists were accused of “attempted bribery” of Assalé Tiémoko, who is the manager of the satirical newspaper L’Eléphant déchaîné, for him to abandon the idea of publishing a compromising article on the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Madam Kaba Nialé.

The MFWA reiterates its call on the CNP to reconsider its decision as these severe sanctions may lead to self-censorship and cow the media.

We also urge the Ivorian media to be more professional in their work.

For more information please contact:
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Connect with us
Twitter @MFWAALERT
Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

Access to information and independent media are essential to development

Vivian Affoah
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A joint statement from freedom of expression advocacy organisations.

Human development in the coming decades will depend on people’s access to information. Ground-breaking new media and technology are enabling major expansion of economic, social and political progress.

We believe that freedom of expression and access to independent media are essential to democratic and economic development. Freedom of speech and the media are means to advance human development and are ends in their own right.

We, the undersigned, therefore call on the Open Working Group to fully integrate the governance recommendations of the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons Report (A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development) into the proposed Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically in relation to its recommendations to:

Establish a specific goal to “ensure good governance and effective institutions”; and
Include as components of this goal a clause to “ensure people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest and access to independent media and information” and to “guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data”

Signed by:

ARTICLE 19, International
Global Forum for Media Development, Belgium/International
ABONG (Brazilian Association of NGOs)
Access Info Europe
Access to Information Programme, Bulgaria
Access-info Center, Moldova
Acción Ciudadana “Capitulo de Transparencia Internacional Guatemala”
Adevarul (Truth), Armenia
Adil Soz, Kazakhstan
Afghanistan Journalists Center
AFP Foundation, France
Africa Freedom of Information Centre
African Media Initiative, Kenya/International
Albanian Media Institute
Alliance of Independent Journalists, Indonesia
Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información, South America
AMARRIBO, Brazil
Arabic Media Internet Network, Palestine
Articulação Contra a Corrupção e a Impunidade, Brazil
Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, Colombia
Association “For Sustainable Human Development”, Armenia
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, Argentina
Association EPAS, Romania
Association of Caribbean Media Workers
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Serbia
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Bahrain Transparency Society
Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Campaign for Freedom of Information, UK
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Cartoonists Rights Network International
Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists, Jordan
Center for Effective Government, USA
Center for International Environmental Law, Canada
Center for Independent Journalism, Romania
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Philippines
Center for Media Studies and Peace Building, Liberia
Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia
Centre for Law and Democracy, International
Centre Ibn Rochd, Morocco
Centro de Archivos y Acceso a la Información Pública, Uruguay
Centro de Iniciativas de Políticas Ambientales, Nicaragua
Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala
Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental, Ecuador
Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental, Mexico
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Comité por la Libre Expresión (C-Libre), Honduras
Committee to Protect Journalists, International
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, India
Comunicación y Educación Ambiental SC, Mexico
Comunicação e Direitos (ANDI), Brazil
Conselho Indigenista Missionário – Regional Norte / Indigenous Missionary Council – Northern Region, Brazil
Corruption Watch UK
Cultura Ecológica, Mexico
DATA Uruguay
Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional – DNI, Costa Rica
Derechos Digitales, Chile
Deutsche Welle Akademie, Germany
Electronic Frontier Foundation, USA
English PEN, UK
Espaço de Formação Assessoria e Documentação, Brazil
Espacio Público, Venezuela
European Endowment for Democracy
FEMNET (African Women’s Development & Communication Network)
FOJO: Media Institute, Linnaeus University, Sweden
Fondation Hirondelle, Switzerland
Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA), Argentina
Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka
Free Press Unlimited, Netherlands
Freedom Forum, Nepal
Freedom Foundation for Media Freedom Rights and Development, Yemen
Freedom House, USA
Freedom of Information Center of Armenia
Freedom of Information Foundation, Russia
Fundación Andina para la Observación y el Estudio de Medios (Fundamedios), Ecuador
Fundacion Construir, Bolivia
Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana, Capítulo Panameño de Transparencia Internacional, Panama
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, Colombia
Gaspar Garcia Centre for Human Rights, Brazil
Global Human Rights Communications, India
Global Infancia, Paraguay
Global Integrity: Innovations for Transparency and Accountability, International
Global Movement for Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation (BTAP), International
Globe International Center, Mongolia
GONG, Croatia
GPOPAI, Research Group on Public Policy for Access to Information, University of Sao Paulo
Greenhost, The Netherlands
Groupe d’Action de Paix et de Formation pour la Transformation, Central African Republic
Hibr, Jordan
Hong Kong Journalists Association, China
Human Rights Center, Azerbaijan
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Human Rights Network for Journalists, Uganda
Human Security Alliance, Thailand
Iilab, UK
Independent Journalism Center, Moldova
Independent Media Center Kurdistan, Iraq
Index on Censorship, UK
Initiative for Freedom of Expression, Turkey
Institut du Gouvernance Numérique, Canada
Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Indonesia
Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information, Indonesia
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, Venezuela
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, Peru
International Center for Journalists, USA
International Federation of Journalists – Asia Pacific
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
International Media Support, Denmark
International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development
International Press Institute, Austria
International Publishers Association
International Records Management
Internews Europe
Internews, International
Iraqi Journalists Rights Defense Association
Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, Iraq
Lisbonreporter.com LokaalMondiaal, Netherlands
Lori TV, Armenia
Maharat Foundation, Lebanon
Media Foundation for West Africa
Media Industry Development Authority, Fiji
Media Initiatives Center, Armenia
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Media Watch, Bangladesh
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia
Mediacentar Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
MediaLink, Indonesia
Medical Mission Sisters, USA
MICT Berlin, Germany
Mizzima News, Burma
Nancy Fashho, Individual
National Union of Somali Journalists
Obong Denis Udo-Inyang Foundation, Nigeria
Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión, Peru
Observatório Social de Belém, Brazil
ONG Ativa Buzios, Brazil
ONG Transparência Cachoeirense, Brazil
Open Data Forum Indonesia
Open Democracy Advice Centre, South Africa
Open Society Foundation, Serbia
Open The Government, USA
Ovdinfo.Org, Russia
Pacific Islands News Association
Pakistan Press Foundation, Pakistan
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms
Panos Europe
PEN American Center
PEN Canada
PEN International
Privacy and Access Council of Canada / Conseil du Canada de l’Accès et la vie Privée
Privacy International
PRO MEDIA Skopje, Macedonia
Programa Transparencia para Tod@s, Mexico
Public Association Journalists, Kyrgyzstan
Publish What You Fund, International
RadioExpert.org, Czech Republic
Reporters Without Borders, France
Sawt el Hor, Egypt
School for Broadcast Media, Indonesia
SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, Lebanon
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Nigeria
Source Fabric, Czech Republic
South African History Archive, South Africa
Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Syrian Journalist Association
Syria Newsdesk
Teeba Press, Sudan
Terra-1530, Moldova
The Justice Project, India
The MediaWise Trust, UK
The Zimbabwean, Zimbabwe
Tifa Foundation, Indonesia
Trac FM, Uganda
Transparency International
Transparency International Bangladesh
Transparency International, Croatia
Transparency Morocco
Tunis Center for Press Freedom, Tunisia
United Journalists Center, Egypt
Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
Uznet, Uzbekistan
Videre Est Credere, UK
Viva São João, Brazil
VOICE, Bangladesh
Vuselela-Media, South Africa
Walter Keim, Individual, Norway
Wesam Al-Haq
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
World Pulse, International
World Wide Web Foundation
Youth Association for Development, Pakistan
Zambezi Fox, South Africa
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations

MFWA PARTNERS US EMBASSY TO HOLD MEDIA FORUMS

Vivian Affoah
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0

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), in partnership with the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Accra is organising two separate forums on the topic: “The Challenges and Prospects of Journalism in the Age of New Media”.

The forums which will feature panel discussions by three US-based journalists and a Ghanaian broadcast journalist will highlight how electronic media journalism is or should be changing with the emergence of new media technologies.

The first of the forums to be held at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra on January 28, 2014, will also feature a presentation by award winning multi-media journalist, Will Sullivan. Mr Sullivan is also the Director of Mobile for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which is the independent US federal agency that oversees all US civilian international media issues. The second forum will take place on February 5, 2014 at Takoradi.

The forums will focus on the nature of the New Media and how news presentation has changed over the last decades as a result of the emergence of new media technology and the growing popularity of citizen journalism.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on January 22 , 2014

Ghana Alert: Police raid radio station, arrest journalist and panellists

Vivian Affoah
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0

Tinaa Adams, a Morning Show host on Sungmaale FM a privately-owned radio station in the Upper West regional capital Wa, was on January 22, 2014 arrested by some police officers.

The MFWA’s monitor reported that the Police, led by the regional Public Relation Officer ASP Edmund Adinkra Nyamekye, also arrested two of the panellists who were on then discussing the spate of armed robbery in the region. The police also seized some equipment from the radio station.

Adams was alleged to have said the police were abetting criminals. The two panellists were also reported to have said they knew where some armed robbers were hiding. The three were later released the same day. The Upper West regional police commander, ACP Kwesi Mensah Duku at a press conference on January 23, apologised for the poor conduct of his men. “I want to reiterate that, what happened yesterday should be put behind us. We are sorry… it will never happen again,” ACP Duku said. We welcome the apology and hope the Ghana Police Service will follow due procedure when dealing with the media.

For more information please contact

Sulemana Braimah,

Executive Director,

MFWA Accra

Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70 Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/MFWAALERTS

Visit our Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

Cote d’Ivoire Alert: Regulatory body slaps newspapers and journalists with fines and suspensions

Vivian Affoah
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0

The Ivorian National Press Council in a press statement issued on January 20, 2014, has sanctioned some newspapers and journalists for various “offences”.
MFWA’s monitor in the country reported that the Notre Voie, Le Jour Plus and Le Nouveau Courrier newspapers, have been fined FCFA 3,000,000 ($ 6,000), FCFA 1,000,000 ($ 2,000) and FCFA 500,000 ($1.000) respectively for publishing false information.

Moussa Traoré, President of the UNJCI, and Alafé Wakili, manager of the Socef-NTIC press company, publishers of L’Intelligent d’Abidjan newspaper, were each suspended from writing articles for a period of six months in addition to the withdrawal of their professional journalist’s identity cards.
The Council also imposed a 52-issue suspension (a two-month ban) on the Aymar Group press company, publishers of Le Quotidien d’Abidjan, newspaper for being “accustomed” to the publication of articles “bordering on invention”.

Again, N’Guessan Kouassi of Le Jour Plus newspaper and Oula Saint Claver of Le Nouveau Courrier newspaper have been suspended from writing articles for a period of one month and their professional identity cards have also been withdrawn.

According to MFWA’s monitor, the Press Council accused Kouassi and Claver of acts of “attempted corruption” of another journalist, Assalé Tiémoko, who is the manager of the satirical newspaper L’Eléphant déchaîné, for him to abandon the idea of publishing a compromising article on the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Madam Kaba Nialé.

The MFWA is very alarmed by the fines and suspensions and appeals to the National Press Council to reconsider their decisions as these suspensions may lead to self-censorship.

We urge the Ivorian media to be more professional in their work to avoid these sanctions.

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