The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is the latest entity to uphold the rights of journalists, with a full endorsement of the decision by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to impose a total media blackout on the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson.
The MFWA is also calling for an extension of the ban to cover all activities of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development as long as Ms Hawa Koomson remains the minister to highlight the gravity of an attack on a pressman.
On Thursday, January 25, 2024, the President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, declared the media blackout following an assault on David Kobbina, a journalist with Cape FM on January 4, 2024, during NPP’s parliamentary aspirant vetting in the Awutu Senya East constituency.
The GJA directed journalists to avoid covering any activities involving the Awutu Senya East MP as thugs linked to her allegedly pounced and beat up the journalist, resulting in serious injuries.
Adding their voice to the series of attacks on journalists, the MFWA, in a statement issued on January 28, stated that “it is time for the media community to take drastic measures to ensure that the rights of journalists are protected and the safety of journalists guaranteed.”
“The MFWA commends the GJA for the bold, decisive decision and wishes to join the Association in appealing to all media houses and journalists in the country to adhere to the decision of the GJA,” the statement noted. “The MFWA is deeply concerned about this umpteenth assault on journalists by political thugs and demands immediate action from all concerned. We urge the NPP as a political party to demand answers from Hawa Koomson and to compel the minister to identify the perpetrators for disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, Ms Koomson has threatened legal action against the GJA President for allegedly implicating her in the supposed attack.
According to the MP, the call by the GJA President for the media to blacklist her over the incident was unfair because the GJA had not properly investigated the alleged assault.
Thus, she demands a retraction of the media blackout statement or the presentation of evidence supporting the assault allegation.
“I had planned to respond to the GJA declaration, but my election activities didn’t allow me. Now that I am done with the election, I can respond. I was in Cape Coast for vetting, and I even spoke to the media after my vetting, but no one approached me about the issue. I was quite surprised when I heard about the assault in the media space.”
