“Democrazy” and Ghanaian press
Is freedom of the press unchecked in Ghana?
In Ghana, a phenomenon referred to as “democrazy” has taken the press by storm. The term describes the antics of journalists who have gone “crazy” or rogue due to open-press laws, or who have become power-drunk on their ability to take on politicians.
Officially, Ghana is considered to have a free press, topping both the United Kingdom and the United States in press rankings, coming in at 22nd worldwide according to Reporters Without Borders.
But what’s the status of the press really like in Ghana, all rankings aside?
AJ+ spoke with Philip Ashon, a journalist at Citi FM radio, about what press freedom has become in Ghana, and how media companies are influencing their journalists.
This is part of an ongoing series looking at press freedom around the world, leading up to World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Find out more about the series below the story.
Editor’s note: This post has been edited for length.
Q: Is the press in Ghana more free than other countries? If so — why?
It’s a combination of different things.
With the repeal of the criminal libel law some years ago, it offered journalists in Ghana the opportunity to practice their trade without so many limitations. Increasingly, what we found is that over the years we have more radio stations being open in the country, which in some respect represents a liberalization of the airwaves or of the media landscape.
Q: How is the Ghanaian press handling the level of freedom it has?
The press in Ghana are beginning to understand what their freedom is. Unfortunately, while they are on this course of understanding what their role as the Fourth Estate is supposed to be, the standards that we are supposed to work with have not been institutionalized as we expect them to be.
You have a situation where there is a proliferation of media houses, and anyone with a bit of money can open a media house at any time because the licenses are there once you have the money.
We are saddled with a situation where these journalists that we hope will keep the politicians on their toes are not trained professionally to do that job.
They know they have so much freedom that they can do whatever they want and often not answer for it. But as to whether they are using it for the purpose of keeping our policymakers on their toes and accountable, thats something I don’t think we’re doing a very good job of.
Q: Can you give one outstanding event that truly showed the abuse of freedom?
It’s a daily occurrence. In Ghanaian media, newspapers, radio stations, and websites owned by people with vested interests in various political parties swing swords and sling mud at each other because of the people who own it.
Q: In the Ghanaian media landscape, the word “democrazy” has been used to describe the abuse of press freedom. Does the concept “abuse of press freedom” exist?
Every freedom comes with responsibility, every right comes with its limitations, because where someone’s rights begin is where someone’s freedom begins.
As much as the press also has the responsibility in terms of the reportage and the language that they use, they also have the responsibility to keep the fabric of the community that they serve intact.
People have the choice whether to tune in or out, to buy or not buy the newspaper, to log or not log on to your website, but people consider you an authority, they believe what you say and when you take a position on something. And when that position is unfortunately not responsible, what you have is you are empowering a group of people with wrong information upon which they will act. And that for me is irresponsible and where they need to draw the line.
The fact that you have a freedom — you should exercise it with responsibility. Saying things about someone not founded in fact is wrong, and you should be prosecuted for it.
Q: What do you think the future holds?
My only hope is that there will be a little more responsibility in exercising that freedom. The level of freedom that we have, we have to understand that it comes with more responsibility, and so I think it’s a bright future for press freedom in Ghana. But we have to understand that there is a greater responsibility that comes with the freedom that we have, and the sooner we understand that responsibility and start upping our game, the better for everyone.
This post is part of a week-long AJ+ series looking at firsthand accounts of press freedom worldwide — and we want to hear from you.
What’s the status of press freedom in your country? Do you think there’s room for improvement? Will there ever be a truly free press?
Join in on the conversation below, and tweet us at @ajplus and hashtag #PressFreedomMeans to let us know what you think.
