There are clear constitutional mechanisms for addressing any misgivings about the work of journalists or media organisations, those mechanisms do not include questioning and intimidation of journalists by National Security, Executive Secretary of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA|), Sulemana Braimah has said.
Mr Braimah cautioned the National Security Secretariat against becoming a media tribunal.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Sulemana Braimah said “National Security Secretariat should not become a media tribunal. Yesterday, I read with shock that National Security had invited a journalist, Prosper Agbenyega, for questioning over a story he had published in his digital outlet called Current Issues. When I first read the story, I didn’t believe it because it sounded so weird. So, I became more alarmed when the journalist confirmed that he had indeed been invited and questioned about his story.
“The said story was about a leaked document from National Security on the transportation of some ECG containers, which has become and should remain a matter of significant national interest.
“In fact, the ECG containers issue deserves serious focus and scrutiny by all media houses. Ghanaians deserve to know what happened under the previous government and what is happening under the current government.”
Let it be clear that the current government’s Resetting Ghana agenda should not and cannot be about intimidation of journalists or citizens through National Security. The job of the National Security does not include questioning journalists about their sources or preaching to journalists on how they should do their stories.
He added “There are clear constitutional mechanisms for addressing any misgivings about the work of journalists or media organisations. Those mechanisms do not include questioning and intimidation of journalists by National Security.
“I urge our media and journalists to remain bold, professional and committed to holding the government accountable to the people of Ghana as required by the Constitution of Ghana.
“Let no overzealous National Security officials think that journalists can be intimidated to become cheerleaders of the government.”
