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The seasoned communications scholar, Professor Kwame Karikari, has said press freedom under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is “frightening”.

He said press freedom was in recession and might soon go into extinction.

He recalled the roles Nana Addo played to advance press freedom in Ghana adding that it is unfortunate that press freedom is currently under recession during his government.

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Professor Karikari who doubles as new Dean of the School of Communications Studies at the Wisconsin International University College said “As an individual citizen, when I say that it is sad that [press freedom] is under recession under Akufo-Addo, I am saying this because he is a man I have always respected in this terrain – in the terrain of human rights, rule of law, in good governance and so on.”

“I remember that [around] 1992 or 1993, when we were struggling for press freedom, when we were working for the freedom of Kwaku Baako, Haruna Atta and others who were being incarcerated left and right, we set up an organisation called ‘Friends of Freedom of Express’ and Nana Akufo-Addo…was a very active member of this advocacy organisation made up of journalists, academics and so forth.

“He has also been the main proponent, as Attorney General, in the legislation to reform or repeal the criminal libel and seditious libel laws. Now as President, he has also done the remarkable job of getting the Rights to Information Law passed when all previous governments had pooh-poohed it and had really not cared much about it.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

“So I still believe that this man still believes in press freedom. He still believes in human rights both in public and in private,” he stated.

At least 11 journalists have been attacked by security persons and party supporters since January 2018. There has been no prosecutions.

Journalists with Multimedia, TV3 Network, Citi FM, Ghanaweb, Ghanaian Times, A1 Radio, Kotoko Express have all fallen victims to attacks.

Speaking on the campaign dubbed #DefendMediaFreedom, he said the threat of death to the lives of journalists is totally new development that requires urgent concern by the government and all democracy-loving Ghanaians. 

“Some of the developments under this particular government makes us quite frightened because while some of them are very new in our politics, like the assignation of the Anas’ second-hand man. It does not happen in this country. In the past, journalists who have died in the hands of the state, in prison…but not somebody going and shooting somebody who has been trying to expose corruption.

“Then the case of Manasseh…who was being chased around by criminals to murder him. The CID knows about it and the National Security also has been informed formally. Up till today, Manasseh walks with a police escort. But again there are new elements in this business, that is commercial or business entities who appear to have joined the fray of doing things that are not very good for press freedom. And some of them, sadly, even use other journalists to hound people like Manasseh. We are seeing these kinds of things emerging and it doesn’t do us good,” the crusader of press freedom said on Multi TV.

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