A Member of Parliament for Effia, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, has launched a blistering attack on Ghana’s media fraternity, accusing journalists of turning a blind eye to rising cases of assaults on their own due to what he describes as political compromise under the Mahama administration.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday morning, the MP expressed dismay over what he sees as a deafening silence from the media, despite a reported 13 incidents of violence against journalists in recent months.
“I am really surprised about you, the journalists, behaving this way as if nothing is happening,” Boamah-Nyarko said. “This is because journalists are being appointed. They are being given political appointments. So they have become beneficiaries of the government, and that is why they are silent on their people.”
He further alleged that the current administration, led by President John Mahama, had strategically “bought” media support, leaving journalists unable or unwilling to challenge abuse and misconduct.
“If you have a smart government like Mahama, who has been President before and understands how media support helps push the government agenda, and you see the media being bought, then you must be worried,” he said.
His comments follow public outrage over a recent incident involving JoyNews reporter Carlos Carlony, who claims he was assaulted and detained by National Security operatives while covering a controversial demolition exercise at a warehouse allegedly owned by businessman Daniel McKorley, also known as McDan.
According to Carlony, soldiers at the site questioned why he and his team were filming the operation. Despite identifying themselves as journalists, Carlony said one officer struck him from behind just as he was preparing to go live.
The incident has reignited concerns about press freedom and safety in Ghana, a country once hailed as a regional leader in democratic openness.
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, condemned the assault in strong terms, describing it as “unprovoked, unjustified and unacceptable.” He called for the immediate arrest and interdiction of the officers involved and urged the state to demonstrate its commitment to protecting media workers.
