The Herald’s hatchet job on Rashida Saani’s involvement in the alleged Sylvia Baah kidnapping flouts all ethics of the profession

Ghanaian newspaper The Herald carried out a hatchet job on an unconcerned private citizen in good standing that was so disgusting it has to be called out as the disgrace to journalism that it is.

Rashida Saani, the individual in question, was baselessly accused by the newspaper – with no supporting facts or properly sourced information other than hearsay, innuendo, and most likely bad faith information from one Sylvia Baah-of partaking in the kidnapping of the latter, who is the Airport Services Manager for Emirates Airlines at Kotoka International Airport.

Such a powerful and potentially libellous accusation bears a heavy burden of proof based on the ethics of the journalistic profession, which The Herald as a newspaper is obligated to follow. The Herald provided no such proof other than their own assumptions based on an incident that to them proves their conclusion, although it does nothing of the sort.

The Accusation

In an article, titled. “National Security & NIB Operatives kidnapped Emirates manager””, The Herald managed to flout nearly all the ethics and principles of journalism without batting an eyelid.

The title of the publication itself is already a huge red flag, stating as a matter of fact a huge allegation that has not been proven by a court of law nor hinted at by sources in law enforcement or anyone in an authoritative position to definitively make such an assessment.

Based on the flimsy proof they offered to back up their accusation, one would not be remiss in thinking they just spoke to Madam Sylvia Baah, took her story hook, line, and sinker, and printed it as fact.

The article only gets worse from there. It goes on to weave a fanciful tale based on flimsy facts, innuendo, assumptions, and perhaps some nefarious motives to allege that some two highly ranked security officers who were prevented from boarding an Emirates Airline flight on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, as well as a private citizen in their company, Rashida Saani-orchestrated a kidnapping plot of Sylvia Baah, Emirate Airlines’ Airport Services Manager at Kotoka International Airport.

What Actually Happened?

According to our sources with first-hand knowledge, Rashida Saani who was to travel on an Emirates Airline flight from Accra to Dubai heard her name being mentioned on the public address system multiple times at Kotoka International Airport despite the fact it was not time to board.

When Rashida managed to get to the boarding gate, she was told boarding had closed when the time for the closure was not due. Rashida, as every reasonable passenger would be, was frustrated over the gate closure despite being on time and the fact that her name was mentioned multiple times via the public address system.

She vented out over this, particularly when it was not yet time to close the gate as stipulated by the fight schedule. These frustrations of hers boiled over verbally and eventually, neither she nor the others were allowed to board the flight. Multiple persons witnessed what happened and everyone went their separate ways.

Could There Be More Behind the Veil of Sylvia Baah?

It’s normal for passengers to miss their flights all the time and all around the world. When this happens, the frustrations are inevitable.

Yet, it is being reported that Rashida Saani and others orchestrated the kidnapping of Sylvia Baah, Emirate Airlines’ Airport Services Manager at Kotoka International Airport—for the fact that they were not allowed to board a flight—technically missing their flight.

Of course, this does not only sound weird but it is an extremely blatantly criminal response to an everyday frustration such as missing a flight.

This raises the obvious question; could there have been more to Sylvia Baah, her dealings at the airport with colleagues and staff as well as in her private life which would make her a target of kidnapping by any aggrieved person? Sylvia Baah may have stepped on the toes of many people at work and in her private life and these things can get a person kidnapped compared to the single incident of a passenger missing a flight. Every reasonable person would agree with this.

The investigating authorities ought to consider the behind-the-veil dealings of Sylvia Baah at the Kotoka International Airport or in her private life to aid in establishing a viable motive or finding the alleged kidnappers.

Could it be that she has been involved in muddy workplace politics or other sleazy dealings capable of making her a target of such a criminal enterprise?

These questions are necessary because The Herald’s claim that Rashida Saani, a private citizen with no official role in the Security Apparatuses, somehow conspired with some travellers to kidnap Sylvia Baah is certainly preposterous.

These allegations, which have no facts to back them up other than hearsay, are then published in a nationally circulated newspaper, flouting perhaps every single principle of journalism.

Journalistic Malpractice

To begin with, The Herald quoted no sources, either from law enforcement or otherwise, who have concluded or even hinted at the fact that either of these three individuals was involved in the kidnapping of Baah.

The allegation against Rashida in particular – seeing as how she has no position in the Security agencies – has a higher standard of proof that The Herald makes no attempt to meet.

The newspaper does not quote any law enforcement sources to back up its claim, neither does it cite any documentation.

The Ghana Police Service, who quickly managed to effect the rescue of Baah, have made no such pronouncements, public or otherwise.

No single individual has been implicated in the kidnapping yet and if The Herald has any sources backing up their claims, the least they could do is hint at them. Instead, they linked two separate incidents and reached their own conclusions, completely failing to meet the strict standards of the profession they purport to practice.

If all it takes to practice journalism these days is to put two and two together and reach a conclusion without evidence or proper sourcing, then everyone can practice it. Journalism is revered because it holds itself up to very strict standards that this article completely falls short of.

The article also failed in a very basic tenet of journalism, which is to give the other side a chance to present their side of the story.

The Herald made no effort to get a reaction from the accused but simply rushed to print, again completely flouting journalistic standards.

Saani has denied the accusation to us, stating she was appalled that anyone could think such a common misunderstanding could lead her to commit one of the most heinous crimes imaginable.

Rashida Saani has no power in the state security apparatus and is a private citizen who probably had a single misunderstanding with a service.

On what basis can this common and everyday occurrence then be equated to her becoming a sort of diabolical mastermind behind the scenes, orchestrating a kidnapping like old-world mafioso? This can only happen in a world in which journalistic standards have been thrown to the dogs and The Herald perfectly demonstrated that in their article.”

 

By Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri.

The author is a Ghanaian-British writer/journalist and a Human Rights Lawyer based in the UK.