Day Break newspaper was unfair to Ghana Armed Forces
The National Media Commission (NMC) has advised journalists to be cautious in their coverage of matters relating to ethnicity in public administration and the security services.
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“Journalists who seek to scrutinise the work of security agencies must do so with circumspection and professionalism,” the NMC urged.
It said this in a statement signed by the Chairman of the NMC, Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng.
The statement said the Day Break newspaper’s publications of series of articles by Mr Prince Prah, and on his blog: http://www.prahprince.blogspot.com, were “unfair and could damage, undermine the cohesion of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF)”.
It said Mr Prah made a number of allegations against the GAF, including a particular claim that promotions and appointments in the GAF were influenced by ethnic considerations.
The statement indicated that Mr Prah could not substantiate his claims when he was hauled to the Settlement Committee meeting of the commission.
Promotions
With respect to the ethnic claims, the commission added that it found no evidence from Mr Prah to back his assertions in the article, concluding that “he collected a set of names in relation to some promotions in the GAF and made assumptions about their ethnic origins and circumstances of their promotion.
“The commission notes that promotions and appointments in every institution may involve detailed and complex processes. The circumstances that lead to staff promotions could also vary from case to case depending on the needs of the organisation, its growth strategies and the performance of officials,” the statement said.
It further said: “Just looking at names and insinuating or sometimes directly alleging ethnic bias, as Mr Prah did, was unprofessional and could be dysfunctional in the case of the GAF.”