Is The Media Enjoying Neutrality Allowance Or They Need A “Water Call”

What may have changed for the once powerful fourth estate of the realm to be so docile? My people, I am no more surprised seeing a mouse chasing a cat. When a cat is fed with milk, to what end will chasing a mouse be? Looking back at a loud and powerful media in the years leading to 2016, and now, I can only agree with my mum who continuously shouts at me saying we don’t talk while eating. They are eating our problems away. We will be fine soon. Or they are taking a shower as Modeccai says his Mum’s warning was; we don’t talk when bathing.

I have a good working relation with the media. Some broadcast our events for free, publish articles, press releases etc. They send reporters even at late invitations. At times when I disappear too early at events, and my phone misbehaves, they know that opposition no good.

Politicians will always work with the media, but it should never take your sense of objectivity from you. Your work is to educate, inform, attempt to interpret, guide, and to entertain. None of these demands neutrality allowance.

I feel worried when all breaking news on governance, or about Nana Addo, or the judiciary, comes from your colleagues outside the shores of Ghana.

After they have broken the news too, even follow ups for verification too, becomes a challenge. The worse part is when the mafia media houses decide to kill the story, or stop it from being discussed on their channel.

For the broadcast journalists, We slum in our comfortable chairs, give NPP 10 minutes, NDC 10 minutes, 3 minutes each for rebuttals and the work is done. In some occasions, they add a CPPNPP person or a so called expect with some party’s card in his pocket to stress the position of the NPP.

Thank you Dr. Kwaku Azar, I have learnt so much from you and I admire your consistency. Your believe in the transformation of the judicial system is not out of malice. I wonder what will be of you if you were locally based.

What befell Ahmed Suale, after his investigative work, Star Fm’s Adeti who fled through Burkina, after a report he covered. Manasseh Azure who had to be hidden in a cocoa sack to cross the boarder, before he could catch a flight may be enough examples, but not enough to keep you silent and still call yourself a journalist. We chose our profession, and we knew the demands of it!!! Anyway, some prefer enjoyment of the spoils of war without war to prevent any war.

Kevin Taylor’s latest interview with Serwah Broni should get all of us thinking, and get the media men enjoying neutrality allowance back to work. It is so shameful you cant sit on the fence.

Many have pretended to be deaf and dumb. Others are busily analysing the EIU report like sanitation inspectors. Fear for what Nana can do, simply explains this. A friend ones said, ” If you have to choose between fear and respect, choose fear”

John Mahama was so nice to media men. He was a friend to all the senior journalists, but they kept setting traps for him. He was readily available to take picture with them, shared tables with them when the need arose. In all these, they were working with a Satan company which today is eating them up. His love, kindness and respect meant nothing to them. They still published lies about him because neither he nor his assigns threaten anyone with death. You have what you asked for, thank God you got him at an older age, like you may not be reading from me.

This week, I am doing a(n) “water call”. For all have sinned and fallen short of the demands of the profession. The job demands your devotion, honestly.

Avoiding the animal farm hypocrisy, will assure us of the better days ahead.

Kun fa Yakun

By: Godwin Ako Gunn