In the wake of the recent invasion of UTV studios during the live broadcast of its United Showbiz program, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has called out the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for its response to the incident.
The invasion, allegedly carried out by individuals claiming affiliation with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), resulted in disruptions to the show and the reported assault of staff members.
In a statement issued by the GJA in the aftermath of the assault, the association expressed disappointment in the Minister’s response, citing a contrast in tone and language used when compared to previous incidents involving the attack on a radio presenter at Dagbon FM and other radio stations.
Responding to these criticisms, Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah expressed disappointment at the GJA for not conducting thorough due diligence before releasing their statement.
The Minister explained that the three claims made by the GJA were false and unfounded.
“Contrary to the claim that we described the incidents differently, if the GJA secretary had taken the time to read the four statements issued so far, he would have realized that we never labeled any incident. We shared with the public the reports we received. Where we received reports of assault, we said so. Where we received reports of attacks, we said so. Where we received a report of alleged unauthorized entry, we said so. We have not been the ones to label any incident. So, the GJA goofed on that.”
“Secondly, contrary to the claim that we did not call the presenter like we did in other incidents, if the GJA secretary had bothered to check, he would have realized that even the presenter acknowledged on air that I, as Minister, personally called her to inquire if she and guests were harmed in any way and to offer our support. How could the GJA make such a statement without checking the basic facts?”
“One of the fundamental principles of journalism is to ensure the accuracy of every event reported. To date, no executive from the GJA has reached out to me to inquire about what actually transpired before issuing their statement.”
He defended his statements, emphasizing that his Ministry’s response was appropriate given the circumstances of the UTV incident and pointed out that the GJA’s failure to conduct thorough due diligence before releasing their statement should not be countenanced.
“The GJA should also remember that it was actually me as Minister who called the IGP to make a report and ask for the Police to intervene. The GJA should be collaborating with us to solve the problem instead of seeking to score points by attacking us.”
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has since arrested a total of 16 people with respect to the matter.
According to a statement issued by the GPS, the arrest follows a complaint made by the Despite Media Group and the Ministry of Information that certain people had invaded the studios of UTV.
The statement said the suspects are assisting with investigations into the said incident.
