The Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Hamid has defended the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Roland Affail Monney on the statement he issued to caution journalists about investigative reporting.
According to him, Mr Monney committed no crime in the issuance of the said statement because the statement was in the right direction.
"In my view, I think Mr Monney has committed no crime in his statement", he said, adding that, "they were very correct and very purposeful".
Mr Hamid said this at the opening of a three-day workshop on investigative journalism on free movement and migration of people, organised by Media Response, an NGO for about 30 journalists and media practitioners in Accra.
Mr Hamid said Mr Monney's statement was to help ensure constructive journalism rather than destructive journalism.
Looking into the face of Mr Monney who was also present at the function, Mr Hamid said: "I don't think you should regret about the statement."
Mr Monney has come under attack but Mr Hamid said it was wrong to assume that the statement was meant to discourage investigative journalism in the country.
Touching on the workshop, Mr Hamid said, it is important that media practitioners learned the skills of investigative journalism and media practice well to help better their reportage.
He said government would revive the media fund to help ensure that media practitioners in the country received training.
Mr Monney who was also at the opening ceremony of the workshop commended Media Response for the workshop.
He said it is better journalists continued to update their knowledge in the practice of journalism as the world of journalism is becoming more complex and dynamic.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Much as I think journalists must be commended for exposing corruption, I think they should desist from practices which create the impression of personal vendetta. The recent headlines on myjoyonline.com and Joy FM create the impression that Azuri and for that matter Multimedia is on a character assassination mission against one personality in the country. Please expose the rot, but desist from bringing back old stuff in a supposedly serial presentation of fresh information.
The flashlight is now on them so they don't know how to steal any longer. The only way is to try and gag journalists. Shame on you.
Money has changed hands. The minsiter wants to frustrate investigative journalists from doing their work because such operations exposes corrupt officials of the state and because he and his government wants to maintain the status quo of corruption he has bribed monney to come out with such statement to prevent investigative journalism. But we say big, NO WAY. We will continue to do our job without fear of favor. Anyway, affair monney is already on his way out.
So it is OK to attack journalist who expose corruption? And let the corruption go on because it is Ghana-owned business? U think we are foooooooooolish?
So, it is wrong to attack journalists who expose corruption. Stuuuuuuuppppidddd. Tell us to vote for you again. Ofri jato
What Monney said, in the context of the current goings on, endorses corrupt & shady practices of businessmen with political advantage and attacks those whose hard work to expose them. Monney as a journalist working with a public institution and with a lackluster record of fighting corruption should know better than to attack the work of those who are doing what he should have been doing.
Hamid, Ghanaians are NOT ***barred word***. You have power now so it seems u have become blind eh? Monney was lambasting the work of someone who has single-handedly done a lot to expose corruption in public service. Monney has been chopping at state instutions, yet Ghana is poor because he, Monney, has failed to expose corruption. If Monney had done his work well and exposed corruption, will GHana be where it is? Hamid, becareful. A year ago, you would not have backed Monney.