An aspiring Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Asamoah-Boateng has said media freedom in the country is the best.
Affectionately called Asabee, he noted that no journalist or media house in Ghana is under attack.
According to him, journalists are not suppressed from expressing themselves freely.
Speaking on Joy News’ ‘the Probe’ on Sunday, he however indicated that some statements made by some journalists and media houses often require a response with facts.
He noted that when those actions are taken they must not be taken as an attack to silence the media.
“It’s one of the best. I have heard a bit of media people under attack. I have heard all that, I have heard the press index, but people always think that when they say something you shouldn’t respond, you shouldn’t talk and some media people are like that. I have met a couple of them and I say, what you said required a response, that doesn’t mean you are under attack.
“We have to provide the facts ad when the facts were provided you didn’t combat so it’s good. Ghana is one of the best in Africa. I listen a lot and I can tell you there’s a lot of interest in how the media reports especially the politics. I am not sure anyone is in fear of his life. I know about Manasseh where he had to go away, but so far I don’t think anyone is under threat of attack,” he told the host.
According to him, critiquing the government is necessary to drive good governance as government officials are kept on their toes.
He stated that since the emergence of new media thus social media, it was prudent to also have communicators who will speak for government on the various platforms.
He stressed that some government communicators have been unfortunately branded as attack dogs by the media.
“They are not attacking. I know social media, the new media has now come to live with us and so you cannot, in my time, the radio, the print, the TV, but these days its online and things happen so quickly. So obviously government has to have people there who are also responding.
“When you are government you are very powerful in a way that if you are not careful people get scared to talk, but we don’t want that. We want people to be free to talk. Even if you disagree with them let them talk. So yes we talk to ourselves so when it goes overboard we are able to call each other and they calm down. I know that sometimes they go over, but I take it to be the response to what they got,” he explained.
Source: Modern Ghana
