From June 15 to 30, 2020, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) monitored ethical violations on 26 news organisations made up of 10 Akan language radio stations, 10 newspapers and six news websites. A total of 963 pieces of content from the 26 organisations were monitored and analysed out of which 116 ethical violations were recorded.
Pro-NDC Power FM’s afternoon political talk show, Inside Politics, hosted by Mugabe Maase and the station’s current affairs programme, Battle Ground, hosted by Oheneba Barnie had the highest incidents of ethical violations of 13 and 12 violations respectively. Pro-NPP Oman FM’s Morning show, National Agenda hosted by Yaw Amofa, and Happy FM’s current affairs programme, Epa Ho a Daben programme, hosted by Nana Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, also recorded 12 ethical violations each.
Overall, radio stations emerged as the worst perpetrators of ethical violations accounting for 70% of the violations recorded. This is followed by news websites (25%) with Ghanaweb.com as the main culprit accounting for 12 violations. The remaining five percent of violations came from the 10 newspapers .
The report also notes that hosts of many political talk shows and news anchors on radio are complicit in the use of unethical language on radio as they make no efforts at restraining panelists and interviewees who used inappropriate words on their programmes. In fact, some news anchors and radio show hosts were noted to be inciting and encouraging panelists and guests to make unethical and offensive statements.
The report further observes that editors of some news websites leave the comments sections of their pages unregulated making it a platform where readers often trade insults and peddle unsubstantiated allegations.
The monitoring of media ethics is part of a project titled: Enhancing media professionalism to inspire public confidence and support for press freedom in Ghana being implemented with funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The objective of the project is to identify and highlight incidents of ethical infractions and draw attention to such breaches as a way of fostering adherence to ethical principles by media organisations.
The full report contains the specific ethical principles violated, the names of the media outlets that committed the violations, among other findings. Click here to access the full report. The instrument being used for the monitoring, which contains the category definitions for tracking and reporting of ethical principles is also available here.
For further clarifications and media interviews, contact Programme Manager, Vivian Affoah (0244896588), or Programme Officer, Kwaku Krobea Asante (0249484528).
At least 40 people were arrested by security forces in Nigeria during a protest to mark the first anniversary of the Revolution Now Movement.
Viral images of the protesters lying prostrate on the ground and being shaved with knife and bottles sparked outrage.
First held on August 5, 2019, the Revolution Now protests demanded the resignation of President Mohamadu Buhari’s government for nonperformance. This year’s protest brought together hundreds of people from Lagos and other states.
However, like they did a year ago, the security forces attacked and arrested the demonstrators. The arrested protesters included journalist Agba Jalingo and civil society activists, Olawale Adebayo Bakare, who were arrested during the inaugural protest last year. Dunnex Samuel, a student leader at Obafemi Awolowo University and Femi Adeyeye, an activist, were also identified among the arrested protest leaders.
The actions by the security forces have been widely condemned by human rights activists including the Executive Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu who has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to apologize for the gross violation.
Mick Barry, an Irish politician and member of the Socialist Party, has also written to Dr. Uzoma Emenike, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ireland, to express concern over the violent crackdown.
“It is completely unacceptable that young people protesting against state repression and the dire economic conditions that currently prevail in Nigeria should be oppressed in this brutal way,” the Sahara Reporters newspaper quoted the politician as saying.
Local media in Abuja reported that protesters that were arrested by the security forces were, later released.
The Media Foundation for West Africa is of the opinion that, the violent attack on the peaceful demonstrators is unconstitutional and represents an infringement on their fundamental civil and political rights, under sections 39 and 40 of the Nigerian constitution that guarantees the right to freedom of expression, peaceful protests, assembly, and association.
Nigeria is also signatory to several regional and international frameworks that guarantee the rights to peaceful assembly and demonstrations. Therefore, it is unacceptable that security forces resort to force to frustrate peaceful protesters.
The Foundation welcomes the release of a number of the arrested protesters and demand the unconditional release of the rest still in detention. We further call for an inquiry into the degrading treatment of some of the protesters and appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators.
Free and fair elections are not limited to just casting of ballots. It is also hinged on the information available to voters on the logistical and institutional issues related to the electoral process, and the voters’ information of those seeking to be elected and the plans and programmes they are proposing.
Journalists bear the duty of providing this information to citizens. To be able to do this effectively they must have the right training.
It is for this reason that the Media Foundation for West Africa together with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) organised a Media Literacy and Election Reporting Workshop for about 150 journalists across Ghana ahead of the country’s general elections on December 7, 2020.
Cross section of participants from the Southern Zone
“We do have a lot of work to do and people expect a lot from us, the least we can do is not to disappoint them,” Executive Director for the MFWA Sulemana Braimah said in his opening remarks to journalists at the workshop.
Seasoned resource person including Prof Audrey Gadzekpo from the School of communications, William Nyarko, Executive Director of the Africa Center for International Law and Accountability, Zakaria Musah Tanko lawyer and lecturer at Ghana Institute if Journalism, Este Sikanku Political Communication analyst, and representatives from the Ghana police service and Electoral Commission engaged journalists on how to ensure a peaceful and credible elections.
Journalists were grouped into three zones-the northern zone which comprised Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West and North East regions. The middle zone had journalists from Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Oti regions while the southern zone consisted Greater Accra, Volta, Eastern, Central, Western and Western North regions.
Participants were engaged on best practices in journalism, reporting on hate and violent language, responsible and public interest reporting, guarding against fake news, safety of journalists during election reporting; and peace promotion through reportage.
Photo from the training in Kumasi
They learned that accuracy, right of reply and correction, fairness and balance must be at the centre of the culture of newsrooms if elections are going to be peaceful and trustworthy.
On standards, journalists were reminded to be factual in their reportage and not report hearsays. Mixing facts with opinions, lack of analysis of issues, intemperate language among others hamper standards.
Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo reminded journalists that it is okay to be partisan so far as they can remain factual and uphold ethical standards in their reports.
On safety, the journalists were cautioned by William Nyarko of Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) and the Ghana Police Service to value their lives and safety first when covering elections or any other story.
“No story is worth your safety. This is what I have put at the back of my mind. When I go to events, rallies, elections I have to be extra careful, I have to ensure that my safety first even though I want information.” Said Hafiz Tijani a journalist with Citi Fm.
Journalists from the training in Accra
The tension between journalists and the police which has come about as a result of the assault on journalists by police officers in the past necessitated this session. Superintendent Sheila Buckman, Director of Police Public Affairs outlined how the security agencies and journalists can work together. She spoke about proper identification of journalists while on duty, building relationships with police officers, joining a professional group such as GJA, and showing interest in police engagement activities as some of the steps journalists can take to ensure a cordial relationship with the police.
The MFWA together with the Ghana Police Service has put together a frame work for Media-Police relations which will be launched on July 1 with the safety of journalists being the focus.
Journalists were also taken through a session on how to identify misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and tools and techniques for combating fake news by the factchecking team at MFWA and Dubawa. Establishing the source, reading beyond the headline, checking the author, finding supporting sources, checking dates, talking to multiple sources for verifications and checking your biases are ways journalists were taught to identify disinformation.
Participants in Tamale
Zakaria Tanko Musa, lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism trained participants on the implications of putting out fake news and hate speech as well as the law governing freedom of expression.
Representatives from the Electoral commission also took journalists through the electoral process, practices and the rules and how journalists can help make the work of the commission easy.
“What this workshop means for me is that, it is going to impact my work positively,” said Patricia Ama Bonsu, a journalist with Ultimate FM in Kumasi. “I have learnt a lot about how to identify and combat fake news because these are things that are going to come up and the onus lies on us as journalists to set the record straight.”
The training forms part of MFWA’s project on Improving Press Freedom and Safety of Journalists Situation in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone being implemented with funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
A group of religious fanatics have vandalized the offices of the Senegalese daily, Les Echos in Dakar, causing extensive damage to property.
The attack which occurred on the afternoon of August 3, 2020 followed a publication by the newspaper that an influential religious leader, Serigne Moustapha Sy, had tested positive for COVID-19 and was on admission at Dakar’s main hospital.
The thugs who identified themselves as followers of Moustapha Sy and adherents of the Moustarchidines sect that he leads, smashed window screens and destroyed equipment including computers.
“Six computers were broken, plus the flat-screen TV in my office, my equipment and that of the editor were broken. On their arrival, they introduced themselves as disciples of Serigne Moustapha Sy, a religious leader,” the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Mbaye Thiandoum, told the local media.
The attack, according to Sidy Djimby Ndao, a senior Journalist and Editor -in-Chief of the online version of the newspaper, has severely affected their capacity to operate.
“The newspaper continues to be published, but with extreme difficulty. The journalists write with their smartphones. Management decided to continue publishing because there is no question conceding to the aggressors,” Ndao told the MFWA.
The act has been strongly condemned by almost all media organisations, leading journalists and several influential individuals in Senegal. The Minister of Culture and Communication, Abdoulaye Diop issued a statement to express his indignation.
“While expressing my total solidarity with the Director of the publication and the workers, I strongly condemn such violations which do not honour their perpetrators and which can in no way be tolerated. The Rule of law prevails in Senegal where press freedom is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution,” the Minister said, assuring that the matter will be followed to its logical conclusion.
The Association of Editors and Professionals of the Online Press (APPEL) also called on the media fraternity in Senegal “to stand up to denounce this barbarism, and urges especially that the perpetrators be tracked down and severely punished.”
Meanwhile, the gendarmerie has announced the arrest of six people who they say are being questioned in connection with the attack.
This act of aggression comes two months after a group of people protesting against restrictive COVID-19 measures, attacked the headquarters of RFM Radio based in Mbacké, 198 km from Dakar. The attack, which occurred on June 2, 2020, resulted in damage to several equipment of the radio station which belongs to the famous singer and former minister, Youssou N’Dour.
It is also the third incident related to the COVID-19. On March 25, 2020, a police officer assaulted Awa Ndiaye and Ousseynou Mbodj from Touba TV despite having authorization to report on how a curfew to contain the spread of the virus was being observed.
Senegal is widely respected as a country with a strong democratic tradition which respects press freedom. These recent attacks on the media by extremist elements is therefore quite disturbing. Consequently, the MFWA condemns the attack on Les Echos and urges the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators face the full rigours of the law, including paying for the equipment and all other items they destroyed at the premises of the newspaper. We further call on all media stakeholders in Senegal to treat these violations as an emerging threat to press freedom and take measures to curb it.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns in the strongest terms the attack by armed men in police uniform on Radio Capital FM based in Bissau, and call on the authorities in Guinea Bissau to investigate the incident and ensure that the culprits are punished.
“At dawn on 26th July, 2020, the premises of Capital FM were invaded by a group of men in police uniform and armed with automatic weapons. The group totally destroyed the Radio equipment, transmitter, computers, mixing console and studio chairs,” the radio station announced through a statement signed by its Executive Director, Lansana Cassama.
The station published several pictures of its vandalised equipment and noted that the extent of damage to other equipment can be established only after an audit by technicians of the respective units. It added that “this act occurred after several threats were made against Radio Capital FM which were reported in due time to the appropriate authorities.”
Officers from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police have gone to inspect the premises, while the Interior Minister, Botchá Candé, has met with the management of Capital Radio, promising to open investigations into the attack. A group of police officers have been deployed to the building housing the radio station to guard it. A journalist with Capital Radio FM, Sabina Santos, however told the MFWA in an interview that if the perpetrators are not arrested, he would not feel safe going back to work when the station resumes broadcasting.
The attack has been condemned by the media professionals’ union and MFWA’s partner organisation in Guinea Bissau, Sindicato de Jornalistas e Técnicos de Comunicação Social (SINJOTECS).
“It’s a vain attempt to silence Capital Radio FM, and a flagrant violation of press freedom which we strongly condemn” SINJOTECS said on July 26, 2020, in a statement signed by its President, Indira Correia Baldé. SINJOTECS followed up with a press conference on July 27, where it called on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are identified and held accountable. It also urged the government to guarantee the safety of all media houses and journalists, while calling for intervention of international organizations such as “the UN, European Union, African Union and ECOWAS, to ensure the uphold of freedom of expression, press freedom and human rights in Guinea Bissau.”
This is the second time in five months that armed security personnel have stormed a media organization and disrupted its operations. On February 29, 2020, soldiers close to the new President, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, invaded the premises of the national broadcasting service Radio-Television Guinee Bissau (RTGB), evacuated the staff, and occupied the premises for over a week. The soldiers’ action followed the refusal of state broadcaster to cover the February 27, 2020 inauguration of President Embalo and a rival inauguration the following day of Cipriano Cassama, following disputed second-round presidential election results held in December 2019.
The MFWA is deeply concerned about the violent invasion of Capital Radio FM, particularly when it came after several threats against the radio station which were duly reported to the authorities. We consider the attack as an attempt to reduce critical media organisations and journalists to silence. We call on the government of President Umaro Embalo to ensure that this incident is thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators sanctioned. It is in the interest of the government and the police service in particular to find and discipline the perpetrators in order to demonstrate their aversion to the crime. Finally, the MFWA urges all stakeholders in the media and human rights fraternity in Guinea Bissau to stand up to the bullies and fight together against impunity for crimes against the media.
Two journalists have been attacked in two separate incidents in what the MFWA considers a safety of journalists red flag ahead of the December 2020 polls.
On June 20, 2020, some political party thugs assaulted journalist Macbadara Romanus of Tizaa FM in the North East Regional capital, Nalerigu, while he was covering the primaries of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
During voting some altercation erupted between the NPP Regional Chairman, Nurudeen Fuseini, and an agent of Dr Mohammed Sampah, who was contesting Hajia Alima Mahama, the incumbent Member of Parliament of Nalerigu and Local Government and Rural Development Minister.
Macdabara told the MFWA that, the Municipal Chief Executive of Sagnarigu, Mariam Iddrisu accused him of filming the scuffle and ordered some thugs to seize his phone. The MCE had come to Nalerigu to support the incumbent. According to the journalist, the MCE’s order was immediately carried out by the thugs who kicked and punched him after shoving him to the ground.
“I felt pains in my jaw and then around my neck, so I have to rush to the hospital for medical care. I got there and I was asked to go back to get police form before they can treat me,” the reporter said.
He said his phone was returned to him following the intervention of the NPP Regional Communications Director, Amos Walibe, but only after all recordings had been deleted.
North East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Charles Domanban, confirmed to the MFWA that the incident has been reported to his outfit, adding that it is being investigated.
In the second incident, journalist Abraham Ananpansah with PAD FM in Damango, in the Savanah Region was ambushed and attacked for reporting on an incident of violence at a registration centre.
Ananpansah who doubles as the Assemblyman in the Canteen Electoral Area, reported on July 2, 2020, that one Atabia Anoma Rahim, Deputy Organiser of the NPP attacked an observer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) with a stool at a registration centre.
“Minutes after my follow-up report, I got a call from a strange number who identified himself as Anoma Atabia Rahim. All I could hear was,” When I catch you, I will deal mercilessly with you,” Ananpansah said. The threat was carried out four days later by seven men led by Atabia.
“All eight of them surrounded me and he Atabia hit my head with a stone and the rest started hitting me with sticks and other hard materials. I became helpless until onlookers intervened and assisted me to escape for my life,” the journalist narrated.
The journalist told the MFWA he reported the threats to the police after three people confirmed that Atabia had openly sworn at the registration centre to “deal with him.”
Atabia has been charged and was supposed to appear in court on July 28. However, the Regional Police Command met the journalist, the management of PAD FM and Rahim Atabia that same day to try to mediate the case.
The violent scenes that were recorded at various polling centres during the NPP parliamentary primaries and similar incidents being enacted at various places during the ongoing voter registration exercise have created an atmosphere of insecurity that could prove hostile to the media if carried into the December 2020 elections. These two incidents of assault on journalists Macdabara and Ananpansah during the NPP primaries and the registration exercise respectively, can intimidate other journalists to self-censor.
They constitute a violation of the right of the journalists to exercise their profession freely without any interference as guaranteed by Chapter 12 of Ghana’s constitution. The acts of thuggery also infringe the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 2019, which bans acts of vigilantism in Ghana, disbands vigilante groups, including political party vigilante groups.
The MFWA therefore condemns these attacks and call on the police to ensure that journalists are protected in the course of their coverage of public events including the electoral process. The police must also deal resolutely with all acts of election-related violence by arresting and ensuring the prosecution of the perpetrators. We urge all the political parties to educate their supporters to eschew violence in all forms, particularly against journalists, and to appreciate the role of the media in the electoral process.
The Media Foundation for West Africa is convening a meeting to engage Political Party Communicators on an Elections Communication Guide developed by the MFWA to promote issues-based and decent campaigning ahead of the 2020 elections in Ghana.
The event scheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2020 at Tomreik Hotel in Accra at 9am prompt, will bring together the Communication Directors of the political parties; governance, media and language experts; the National Media Commission (NMC); the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA); The National Peace Council; the Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN); the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA); academics; CSOs and the media.
The meeting will amongst other things validate the Elections Communication Guide to help political party communicators to articulate their issues, ideologies and manifestoes devoid of hate speech and other indecent expressions. The meeting will also be used to validate the Elections Communication Guide.
This activity is part of MFWA’s project on Promoting Decent Language and Issues-based Campaigning for Peaceful Elections in Ghana in 2020. It involves the monitoring of radio stations to name perpetrators of hate speech and other indecent expressions, and the radio stations that allow such expressions on their platforms.
In Ghana, the project is currently being implemented with funding support from STAR Ghana Foundation and OSIWA. The project is also being implemented in Cote d’Ivoire and Niger with funding support from OSIWA.
The Parliament of Sierra Leone on July 23, 2020 unanimously approved the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020 and repealed the 1965 Public Order Act (POA) that criminalized libel and sedition in what has been hailed as a historic moment for the media in the country.
“I want all of us to consider this moment as a solemn one in our democratic dispensation,” the Chair of the Legislative Committee, Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Gevao, said while presenting a report on the Bills to the House, adding “Today we have seen a repeal of a law that several Sierra Leoneans have labored under its axe.”
The Independent Media Commission Act 2020 replaces Part 5 of the Public Order Act and repeals criminal libel. This fulfils an important campaign promise of President Julius Maada Bio.
“Part Five of Sierra Leone’s Public Order Act criminalises any publication that is deemed defamatory or seditious and has been used as a regime to unduly target and imprison media practitioners and silence dissident views,” President Bio observed during a cocktail meeting with journalists on December 5, 2018 in the capital, Freetown.
He added that his cabinet has approved a bill to remove the repressive sections of the Act.
The repeal is a major victory for the media in Sierra Leone which has fought for decades alongside human rights activists in and outside the country to get rid of the restraint on press freedom contained in the Public Order Act passed in 1965 which has been used by successive governments to crackdown on critical journalism, amidst promises by opposition leaders to repeal it if voted into power.
Almost all veterans of Sierra Leone’s media have been victims of the infamous law. On September 22, 2017, the then chief editor of The New Age newspaper, Ibrahim Samura, now late, was charged with four counts of sedition and criminal libel. Donald Theo Harding and Thomas Dixon – both of Salone Times newspaper – were also charged with ten counts of sedition and criminal libel.
On October 18, 2013, the Managing Editor of the Independent Observer, Jonathan Leigh and Chief Editor, Bai Bai Sesay, were arrested and detained 19 days without trial after publishing a satirical article about President Ernest Koroma.
David Tam-Baryoh and Paul Kamara are also among many other veterans, who have been victims of the infamous sedition law.
As recently as May 1, 2020, the authorities arrested Silvia Olayinka Blyden, publisher of the Awareness Times newspaper, and charged her with violating sections 27, 32, and 33 of the Public Order Act in connection with her critical Facebook posts. Accused of defaming the government, she spent a total of 50 days in detention, before being granted bail.
The repeal has therefore been welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm.
“This law practically criminalised journalism as a profession in Sierra Leone. A politician or any powerful figure could just call a police officer to arrest journalists and detain them under the pretext that they have violated the Public Order Act. Even publishers of newspapers could go to jail for publications deemed defamatory. We have fought this albatross of a law for about five decades. The expunging of Part 5 of the Public Order Act is a new dawn for the Sierra Leone media,” rejoiced Mohammed Bah, General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
President of SLAJ Shahid Nasrallah reacting to the news said “Freedom comes with great power and great power comes with great responsibility. So, as we celebrate. Let us bear in mind that we are starting a new journey to responsible, professional and patriotic practice.”
“As a victim of this bad law, I am very happy about the repeal of the criminal libel law. This is a victory for all of us, the media, civil societies and the international community. But let me advise my colleague journalists that though we are celebrating as well as heaping praises here and there; let me remind them of the Civil Libel Law (Act no. 32 of 1961).” Bai Bai Sessay, former Chief Editor of the Independent Observer said.
The MFWA joins the media in Sierra Leone to hail this important milestone in the history of journalism in the country. It is a welcome relief for journalists in Sierra Leone, many of whom were arrested, arbitrarily detained, or sentenced to prison under the Act.
The ball is now in the court of the media to handle their new-found freedom with professionalism, dignity and respect for the rights of others.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the Presidential decision to suspend execution of a Ministerial order to the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation GBC to surrender three of its six Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) channels, a directive the MFWA had challenged as “illegal and inimical.”
“The president of the Republic, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, on Thursday July 23rd, 2020, directed the Minister of Communications, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekufful, MP, to suspend the implementation of the directives given to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in connection with the reduction of GBC’s channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform, pending further consultation with stakeholders” a statement from the Presidency said.
The President’s directive came three days after the MFWA petitioned the media regulator, the National Media Commission (NMC) challenging the propriety and constitutionality of the directive issued on June 26, 2020 by the Communications minister, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekufful.
“Not only is this attempt by the Minister of Communication to sequester three of the TV channels of the state broadcaster an expression of ministerial overreach; it also unfairly reduces the public service broadcaster’s footprint within the current 40-channels platform, the MFWA said in its petition which urged the NMC to resist the attempt.
With regard to content, the MFWA also raised concern that the withdrawal of the three channels could force GBC to cull certain programmes, which could adversely affect its inclusive programming that caters for the varied interests and diverse cultures in Ghana.
The MFWA took the government to task for disregarding the media regulator, the National Media Commission (NMC) which has oversight responsibility over all state media, including GBC as spelt out in Articles 167 – 173 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and other provisions on institutional governance and operational independence of the state broadcaster and media pluralism generally.
The Foundation also called on the NMC to urgently intervene to prevent the Board and GBC from complying with the illegal and inimical instruction from the Minister of Communications.
Following the MFWA petition, the NMC on July 2, 2020, issued a statement asserting its constitutional right to protect GBC from undue Executive control.
“Allowing politicians to control the gateway to public communication would introduce vulnerabilities into the constitutional firewalls of free expression in Ghana,” the regulator said in a statement, adding that it would be “unhelpful to democracy to leave the control of the gateway to public communications in the hands of a Minster of State.”
A day after the NMC’s reaction, the Presidency issued a statement suspending the order to sequester the three channels.
The MFWA hails the decision by the President as timely and appropriate. We also commend the National Media Commission for asserting its authority over GBC and constitutional obligation to insulate the state media against executive interference.
We reiterate our call on government to allow the Committee recently set up by the NMC to recommend strategies for a vibrant and viable Public Service Broadcaster to complete its work. It is our expectation that ,the recommendations of the committee will enable each stakeholder play its role effectively to ensure a vibrant and sustainable public broadcasting service.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is extremely alarmed by the revelation that the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has instructed the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to cede three of its six channels on the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform. The minister’s instruction is to be complied with within 60 days.
We question the legitimacy and propriety, as well as the logic and prudence, of the directive; for the following reasons.
First, the directive undermines relevant constitutional and regulatory provisions on institutional governance and operational independence of the state broadcaster and media pluralism generally. Guided by the lessons of history, the 1992 Constitution and other enabling pieces of legislation have sought to raise guardrails around the state media in particular. These legal provisions are meant to stave off interferences in the management and editorial discretion of the state media. The provision is also designed to enable the state media offer fair voice and visibility to all segments of the national population including minority groups and interests.
Ghana is also signatory to a number of regional charters and conventions – the relevant ones of which include the African Charter on Broadcasting adopted in Windhoek in 2001, and the Joint Declaration on Media Independence and Diversity in the Digital age, adopted in Accra in 2018 – which seek a shared vision for independent and inclusive media systems. Not only is this attempt by the Minister of Communication to sequester three of the TV channels of the state broadcaster an expression of ministerial overreach; it also unfairly reduces the public service broadcaster’s footprint within the current 40-channels platform.
Secondly, and related to the observation above, the stated reason for the directive invokes a curious leap of logic. It also defies the norms of equity. According to the Minister’s letter, the reasons for requiring GBC to relinquish the three channels “is to ensure that there is redundancy on the National DTT platform which is currently at full capacity.” This begs the question; because up until as recently as April, 2020, new private TV channels were being added onto the DTT platform. Why did channels continue to be allocated? And as they were being added didn’t the managers of DTT platform know about the purported need for redundancy on the platform? Who are the owners of the recently operationalised channels?
Incidentally, the platform relies on GBC, which the recently revised DDT Broadcasting Policy acknowledges as “the national broadcaster and the TV station with the widest coverage in the country” to enable the drive towards universal access. This reliance of the DTT platform on GBC is also reflected in the commitment of GBC resources into building of the platform. Out of the 42 sites that currently host the DTT platform, 38 of them are GBC sites. Indeed, it can be argued that GBC is currently the enabler of the DTT platform. Besides if these GBC-owned sites were to be rented out commercially, the state broadcaster will be earning in excess of $7million a year. What this means is that GBC is a major contributor rather than a liability on the platform.
So, given its stake of resources in the deployment of the platform, and given its national orientation and ownership, why should GBC be the victim of this presumed act of expediency?
According to the Minister of Communications, the directive for GBC to relinquish the three channels on the DTT platform is also because neither “the State” nor “the National Security” has any means “of broadcasting urgent communication” to the public. This is untenable, given the clear policy and practice of GBC since its original incorporation under the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Instrument, 1965 (LI 472) and subsequent legislative transformations to the current GBC Decree, 1968 (NLCD 226) – and amendments thereof. As the state/public broadcaster, GBC has always been at the service of the Presidency and Parliament – and of all the pillars of state – for carrying or covering State events and news.
The Minister’s explanation is especially counterintuitive at this time, when the President has relied on the channels of GTV for delivering his periodic updates on Ghana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the six GBC television channels are dedicated 24-hour operations, each with a different orientation, and contributing, collectively, to the diverse but inclusive character of GTV as a state/public broadcaster. Therefore, the directive by the Minister if complied with, may constitute implicit interference in, or influence of, GTV’s programming decisions and editorial discretion; contrary to Articles 162 and 163 of the Constitution. So, the minister’s directive is not just about channels it is about content.
A further reason to doubt that the directive addressed to the Director General of GBC is an isolated and prudent act of good faith is the following:
The blueprint for the implementation of the DTT migration proposes the setting up of a supposedly independent, but executive-controlled entity – the Central Digital Transmission Company Limited (CDTCL) – to manage the DTT platform in the interest of transparency and fairness. Why has the ministry through the Minister become the sole managers of the DTT platform?
The direct instruction to GBC also completely disregards the oversight role of the National Media Commission (NMC) as spelt out in Articles 167 – 173 of the Constitution. The relevant Articles of the Constitution require the NMC to oversee the operations of the state broadcaster, and to insulate it from governmental control and interference of the nature being exercised by the Communications Minister. As part of that mandate, the NMC appoints the Board, and by extension, the Director General, of GBC. The NMC is an independent body and not an appendage of any Ministry. So why will the Minister disregard the NMC in issuing instructions to the GBC? Why was the NMC not even copied in the letter?
The NMC, with the full awareness of government, announced the inauguration of a committee on January 27, 2020, to assess and make recommendations for reforming GBC to become a vibrant and viable Public Service Broadcaster. The committee is chaired by the experienced and highly regarded Elizabeth Ohene. Why is the Minister seeming to pre-empt the outcome of the committee’s work?
All of these factors lend credence to concerns about an incipient scheme to systematically delegitimise the public service ethos of GBC, to undermine its capacity to access the requisite operational resources, and to provide the alibi for divesting its assets into the waiting hands of crony capitalists and political patrons.
The MFWA calls on the Minister of Communication, acting in the name of the government of HE President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to withdraw the said directive failing we urge the President to revoke the directive. We also call on the NMC to assert its constitutional responsibility of insulating the state broadcaster from governmental interference and control. The NMC should urgently intervene to prevent the Board and GBC from complying with the illegal and inimical instruction from the Minister of Communications.
In an apparent move to calm tensions in the country, the Malian authorities have released leaders and organisers of three days of violent anti-government protests which began on June 10, 2020 paralysing the capital, Bamako and ending in fatalities.
The French magazine, Le Monde, quoted Prime Minister Boubou Cisse as confirming a toll of 11 dead and 158 injured in the three days of violent clashes.
With tensions still running high and sporadic clashes continuing between pockets of resisting youth and the security forces, the authorities heeded local and international calls and released the arrested protest leaders numbering about 20 on June 13, 2020.
“My three clients Choguel Maïga, Kaou Djim and the Imam (Oumarou) Diarra have just been released,” Alifa Habib Koné, lawyer of the three, told the Agence France Presse (AFP) after the releases.
Other opposition and civil society figures released from various detention facilities in the capital included Nouhoum Sarr, Adama Ben, Clément Dembele and a former minister Mountaga Tall. Imam Mahmoud Dicko, the powerful religious leader who reported himself to the police to be detained in solidarity with the arrested protest leaders, was also released.
The conciliatory gesture from the government is in line with calls by international actors for restraint and political dialogue.
In a joint statement issued on June 12, the ECOWAS, African Union, EU and UN condemned the violence on both sides. They also urged President Keita to create the conditions for political dialogue by releasing the jailed leaders of the M5-RFP a coalition of religious, political and civil society leaders which organised the protests.
In addition to releasing the protest leaders, the President has dissolved the Constitutional Court which the protesters claim has lost credibility as a neutral body. In one of its recent partisan postures, the Constitutional Court on June 1, 2020, issued a statement describing calls for President Keita’s resignation as “insurrectional, subversive, seditious.” In response, the MFWA issued a statement condemning the Court’s action as “an attempt at dissuading and intimidating critics of the Executive.”
Following the liberation of its leading figures, the M5-RFP leadership has also called off protests earlier announced to take place on July 17. It will instead hold memorial services for the protesters killed during the last demonstrations.
Meanwhile, an ECOWAS delegation has arrived in Mali to mediate the impasse. Led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, the team has met President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and the powerful Imam Mahmoud Dicko who is the heartbeat of the campaign against the government. They will also meet separately with opposition leaders and civil society organisations to try to broker peace.
The MFWA welcomes the positive developments in Mali in the days immediately following the violent incidents, particularly, the release of the protesters leaders and the dissolution of the controversial Constitutional Court.
We urge the parties involved to continue the dialogue in good faith in order to restore peace. Above all, we reiterate our call on the authorities to investigate fully the violent incidents during the recent demonstration and ensure that those responsible for the excesses, particularly the killings and many press freedom violations, are punished.
A number of protesters have been killed, the internet disrupted and the state broadcaster attacked as a mammoth anti-government demonstration in Mali turned violent, with many press freedom violations.
Bamako was paralyzed by scenes of looting and violence on July 10, 2020 as thousands of Malians massed up at Independence Square in Bamako in response to a call to civil disobedience made by the M5-RFP (a coalition of the opposition political parties, civil society and religious organisations).
The National Assembly was vandalized. Several government buildings were occupied and three principal bridges in the capital were blocked. Thick smoke overshadowed the morning sunlight as the youth burnt car tyres on several principal roads in a fit of rage.
The security forces responded with brutal force to acts of violence and vandalism by protesters by firing warning shots, attacking with truncheons and tear gas, with official sources confirming one dead.
A hospital source however told the MFWA’s correspondent that the demonstrations left 3 dead, with the Centre Hospitalier Universiataire Gabriel Touré (CHU GT) and the Bamako reference health center receiving a total of 74 injured protesters between them. The organisers of the protest say about eight people were killed over two days. Shooting of tear gas by the police continued all Friday evening to disperse the protesters.
The protests continued on July 11, in several major arteries in the Malian capital. In districts like Magmanbougou, Niamakoro, Baco Djikoroni and Faladie, protesters burned tires and placed giant barricades on the tracks.
Protesters burned tires and placed giant barricades on the tracks
In line with the recent problematic trend during anti-government demonstrations in Africa, the internet was disrupted.
Netblocks, an organisation that monitors internet shutdowns, announced on June 10, that early reports indicate that the internet and social media had been censored.
Press Freedom Violation
The State broadcaster, Office de Radio-Television du Mali (ORTM), was hard-hit by the violence. Several of its offices in Bozola (the ORTM headquarters) were ransacked and equipment belonging to the broadcaster were looted.
ORTM was invaded and chaotically occupied and vandalized, with the resulting losses running several hundreds of millions of CFA francs. Two vehicles belonging to journalists were also set on fire.
The state broadcaster stopped broadcasting the evening of July 10 after the invasion of its premises over several hours. This chaotic situation continued until midday on July 11.
The ORTM offices and its journalists were not the only victims of the protesters’ violence. A number of journalists had a bitter taste of the protesters’ violence, while the security forces’ robust response also led to several press freedom violations. Mamadou Cissé, journalist with the Horon Group, told the MFWA correspondent: “I was arrested by the police while I was reporting and then released later”.
Journalist Hawa Kamissoko of the Liberté TV Group was arrested in the middle of her coverage by police officers who shoved her into a pick-up. Her close associates reported her release at 6 pm the following day (July 11).
The media organisation Groupe Ernergie in a press release also reported attacks on its reporters on July 10. According to the Group, journalists Harouna Keïta, and Fanta Cisse were robbed of their phones, camera and wallets.
“We condemn with last energy this barbaric and despicable act while reassuring that legal proceedings will be initiated for the purpose of finding the perpetrators,” concluded the release signed by the Editor-in Chief, Moussa Salif Diarra.
Moussa Koné, a correspondent of international media, testified: “I was beaten with batons and my corrective lens crashed to the ground. It’s the same contingent that killed the boy in Badalabougou.”
Arrests of Protest Leaders
Several leading figures behind the demonstrations were arrested immediately after the demonstration on July 10. They include the General Coordinator of the Coordination des Mouvements, Associations et Sympathisants (CMAS), Issa Kaou N’djim, who was arrested at his home. Others were Nouhoum Sarr of the FAD party, Adama Ben Diarra and Clément Dembele.
Another wave of arrests was carried out the following day. Former Ministers Mountaga Tall and Choguel Kokalla Maîga were arrested during a meeting at the office of the main opposition leader.
Imam Mahmoud Dicko, a powerful religious leader who played a crucial role in mobilising the masses, reported himself to the police to be detained in solidarity with the arrested protest leaders.
Indignation and Appeal for Dialogue from Prime Minister
Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, on a visit to the CHU GT (the University hospital) on July 11, expressed his anger and indignation.
“I came to visit the wounded from yesterday’s events. I came to tell them that the Head of State is a man of peace and dialogue. He will never stop urging us to dialogue so that we find the solution to our problems by listening rather than the confrontation. “
Prime Minister Cisse has appealed to the leaders of the M5 movement to “frame demonstrations in the spirit of the constitution as well as laws and texts relating to the exercise of freedoms.”
Protesters’ Demands
One of the demands of the protesters is to see President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita resign for perceived failure to tackle insecurity, corruption, mass unemployment and Mali’s worsening economic situation.
Since 2012, Mali has been experiencing a multifaceted, security, political and economic crisis. S Neighboring countries including Niger and Burkina Faso are also paying a heavy price.
Elected in 2013 at the end of the long process of transition from the crisis arising out of the military coup of March 22, 2012, President Keita started of his tenure on the crest of wave of popular support. Now he appears weakened by the upheavals of governance and public life and his ratings have plummeted in recent years. It should be remembered that since coming to power in 2013, he has been the subject of several medical evacuations abroad.
International Community Reaction
The international community has reacted by condemning the violence exhibited by both sides and urged the government to release the arrested leaders to facilitate dialogue.
A statement issued by representatives of the ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations on July 12 condemned “the use of lethal force in the maintenance of order and invite all stakeholders to exercise restraint and to always prioritise dialogue, concertation and peaceful means of crisis resolution.
The Media Foundation for West Africa also condemns in the strongest terms, the excesses on both sides. We find it unfortunate that both sides attacked journalists and destroyed the equipment of media professionals who were only performing their legitimate duties. While condemning the killing of demonstrators, we demand thorough investigations into all the acts of lawlessness for appropriate sanctions to be applied against the perpetrators.
