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Professor Audrey Gadzekpo has called on the government to introduce a broadcast law to protect journalists and media practitioners, referencing a decline in media freedom in Ghana.
Her remarks come after Ghana ranked 50th out of 180 countries in the recent World Press Freedom Index, highlighting the need for stronger protections.
Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show, Prof. Gadzekpo noted the lack of regulations governing the broadcast industry, a gap she says should have been addressed when the airwaves were first liberalised.
“There are no regulations in place governing the broadcast space, and we have been talking about this for many years,” she stated.
She emphasised the importance of enforcing consequences for attacks on journalists, saying, “There have to be sanctions for impunity against media professionals, and stronger sanctions at that.”
Between 2019 and 2023, 45 incidents of attacks on journalists were reported by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with the latest involving the assault of Joy News’ Erastus Asare Donkor and his team by armed illegal miners in the Ashanti Region.
Adding to the discussion, Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), shared his organisation’s efforts to train journalists on ethics and technical skills to enhance professionalism.
“In the past 24 months, together with several institutions, we have conducted training, capacity building, and media literacy programmes for over 1,000 journalists from media houses across the country. This is to help align ethical practices and also enhance technical skills,” he stated.
However, he noted that without formal protections, training alone cannot safeguard journalists.
