The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has emphasized that his ministry has consistently condemned acts of violence against media organizations carried out by individuals associated with political factions.
This statement comes in response to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), which expressed disappointment with Oppong Nkrumah’s remarks concerning the recent assault on United Television (UTV) in Accra.
In a statement issued by Kofi Yeboah, the General Secretary of GJA, it was pointed out that the Minister did not explicitly denounce the attack on UTV, leading the GJA to criticize his response as lacking decisiveness. They also criticized his mention of alleged unauthorized entry by the attackers as an attempt to justify the assault, pointing out that the Minister himself had reported the incident to the police.
The GJA also highlighted a disparity between the Information Minister’s response to the UTV incident and a previous case where a journalist at Dagbon FM was assaulted by a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In defense of his position, Oppong Nkrumah stated on the Citi Breakfast Show that the allegations made by the GJA were baseless. He explained that his ministry conveys information obtained from its monitoring center and adjusts its stance as more information becomes available.
Furthermore, he clarified that the ministry’s condemnation of such acts aligns with their previous responses to attacks on media outlets and journalists. He stressed the importance of maintaining consistency and focusing on prosecution through the legal system to deter such incidents in the future.