GJA@75 – What a journey it has been  

GJA is 75 and what a journey it has been. Let me acknowledge up front that I am not a trained journalist– just an admirer of the inky fraternity and its capacity to shape the world.

It was sad to learn that Godwin Avernogbo, a quiet pillar of the profession just died. Along with condolences to the family, one cannot forget those who paid the ultimate price for journalism– Kugblenu, Tommy Thompson and others– as well as those who suffered exile and imprisonment, including Kweku Baako and Haruna Atta.

Since the formation of the GJA in 1949, its journey has been tumultuous– with bans and unbanning.

Journalism has been at the core of our national journey since Charles Bannerman first founded the ACCRA HERALD in 1858.

Indeed, to presage the unquenchable penchant of politicians to dabble in our politics, the first newspaper in Gold Coast, THE ROYAL GOLD COAST GAZETTE, was founded by Governor Sir Charles MacCarthy in 1822.

Since then, Danquah, Nkrumah, NADAA and many other politicians have owned or edited media outlets. In retrospect, maybe I should have accepted the offer to be Editor of “The Statesman” in 2009. As for the soldiers, they just controlled the state media with guns. And most in the media happily went along.

As Ambassador Kabral put it in one of the anniversary speeches, “Before I became President in 1993, the government had completely hijacked the GJA’s “Best Journalist Award Scheme” Ah, Ambassador, only the award? Did you see Kwame Gyewu Kyem and Archeampong do their thing? I shall return to this but to be honest, while there have been enough dishonour to soil journalism for the ages, there have been great men and women as well as institutions who would make it into a GJA HALL OF FAME.

Amongst these are John and Nancy Tsiboe and their ASHANTI PIONEER which set a standard in journalism that would be the envy of many a Pulitzer prize winner in the US. Also in this Hall of fame would be Cameron Duodu, Adwoa Yeboah Afari, Elizabeth Ohene, Kojo Yankah, Kwesi Pratt, Kweku Baako, Haruna Atta, Ken Bediako, Joe Aggrey and a few others. And there were seminal moments.

Elizabeth Ohene’s editorial on letting the blood flow, Yankah’s prose, Palmer Buckle’s bravery, Kweku Sakyi Addo on CNN and Ben Ephson’s affinity for data which is used honestly can illuminate.

As a young man, I always worried about military dictatorships “shit-bombing” newspaper offices or taking over radio stations with force which undermines freedom of the press. How naive.

With experience, I have come to appreciate that there are other forces–including ideology, ethnicity and money that are more sinister than bullets and bayonets. As one friend said soberly, if Watergate happened in Ghana Woodward and Bernstein would get houses at Trasalco or Regimanuel estates and Nixon would finish his term.

In the 4th Republic, journalists are not bombed–they are bought or given appointments. My friends, in the inky fraternity, there is hope. We can be encouraged by the good work of Joy FM’s Newsfile and AM News with Blunt Thoughts by Anyenini and Akakpo, Bernard Avle of City, Manasseh Azure Awuni, Afia Pokua, Steve Mallory’s exposes in AFRICA WATCH and others. And we can answer late Kugblenu’s question to Mike Adjei before Kugblenu’s death with courage and patriotism.

He asked, “Mike, do you think it is worth dying for this country?”. If we won’t, who would? If we can’t, who can? May God bless GJA and May God bless Ghana.