Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), continues to disagree with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) over a directive issued by the Association to media houses to blacklist two Members of Parliament (MPs) over assault on some journalists within the last two months.
Mr. Ayeboafo has criticized the GJA’s directive, labelling it as “dysfunctional and unproductive” to public interest.
He advocates for the use of legal channels to address such acts of impunity against journalists.
In an interview on Monday in Accra, the NMC Chair reiterated his stance, arguing that the directive was not democratic and an effective method to handle assaults on journalists.
Mr. Ayeboafo underscored that “The thing is that boycotting or blackout is something that is not part of normal democratic culture. It is only when everything possible through the rule of law has broken down [that you adopt such measures]. But sometimes it may result in impunity… It is not the most efficacious tool in dealing with attacks on journalists.”
In a rebuttal, Albert Dwumfour of the GJA said the NMC Chairman was wrong in his stance and that the association would not stand by while journalists are assaulted.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has strongly criticized Mr. Ayeboafo for his opposition to the directive issued by the GJA.
During an interview on Breakfast Daily with David Kwaku Sakyi on February 12, 2024, Mr. Thompson expressed disappointment with the Chairman’s comments.
He characterized Ayeboafo as a failed journalist who had refused to acknowledge the assaults against his former colleagues.
He said, “So, you people, they are beating you, they are not paying you well, they are disrespecting you, you rise to the position when you can take decisions to protect your fellow members, look at the ridiculousness of the things he is saying.”
“That I should sit down for somebody to come to my house, come and attack me, come and beat me to a pulp, the following day I should give the same person a platform to come and talk, according to this man, a former journalist, he should be ashamed of himself.”
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