Martin-Luther C. King, in Accra
Authorities in Ghana and Nigeria have been called upon to urgently investigate acts of brutality against journalists covering the COVID-19 pandemic in their respective jurisdictions as well as other violations against media professionals in relation to their publications on the pandemic to ensure that justice is served.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) made the call in Accra, Ghana as part of activities to mark World Press Freedom Day on May 4, 2020.
Also, the MFWA has significantly ramped-up its fact-checking project
in an effort to effectively deal with the proliferation of fake news and misinformation around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The MFWA is a regional independent non-governmental organisation, based in Ghana, which seeks to promote and defend the right to freedom of expression of all persons particularly the media and human rights defenders in West Africa.
In a release made available to the West African Post, in Accra, the MFWA said it petitioned the Chief of Defence Staff of Ghana and the political authorities in Nigeria to investigate attacks on journalists covering the pandemic in the two countries and punish the culprits.
The petition to the Chief of Defence Staff of Ghana, Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa is in respect of two separate incidents of brutality against Yussif Abdul Ganiyu, General Manager of Zuria FM based in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city and Samuel Adobah a reporter for TV Africa in Accra by soldiers enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ganiyu was covering a clean-up exercise on April 2, when the commander of a military patrol team bundled him into their vehicle with registration number 49 GA 68, and assaulted him. The officers also seized Ganiyu’s phone.
In the case of Adobah, he was covering a fire outbreak at a suburb of Accra when a soldier who was part of a COVID-19 enforcement team attacked him. The officer slapped Adobah from behind and pounded him on the ground, even as the crowd was yelling to him that he is a journalist. The soldier reportedly also destroyed the journalist’s phone by stomping on it.
The MFWA urged Lt General Akwa to ensure the violations are investigated and the officers involved sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others.
The petition to the Nigerian authorities specifically urged the Governor of Delta State in Nigeria, Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, to bring to book members of the state’s environmental task force who assaulted two journalists, Michael Ikeogwu, the Delta State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Mathew Omonigho, the Daily Post’s correspondent in the State.
The two journalists had gone to the Uvwie Local Government Area on April 1, to monitor and report on the state of compliance with the lockdown order issued by the government to curtail the spread of the coronavirus when they noticed some locals who were engaged in a clean-up exercise under the supervision of some members of the environment taskforce.
Ikeogwu said when he approached the leader of the environment task force and asked him why they were forcing residents to carry out the sanitation exercise despite the government’s lock down order, the official, identified as Kingsley Iweka, took offense and ordered his subordinates to attack him and Omonigho.
The MFWA similarly petitioned the management of Le Soleil newspaper in Senegal to reinstate its employee, Fatou Ly Sall, who was sacked after she allegedly refused to seek medical attention for a suspected coronavirus infection at a designated medical centre by the government. Sall said although she had arrived at the office showing symptoms of the infection, she had actually seen her personal doctor and done tests that came out negative, debunking claims that she disobeyed management’s advice to seek medical attention.
“We, therefore, appeal to management to cooperate with the dialogue being facilitated by MFWA’s national partner organisation in Senegal, SYNPICS to resolve the matter,” the foundation said.
Meanwhile, the MFWA said it has ramped-up its fact-checking project as part of efforts to effectively deal with the proliferation of fake news and misinformation around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The scale-up efforts include the hiring of 50 additional fact-checkers and teaming up with 50 media organisations across Ghana in what is designated as a Media Alliance Against COVID-19 Misinformation.
“Access to salient information that is credible is key to preventing diseases and promoting good health. Therefore, citizens can make informed decisions about COVID-19 and other aspects of their lives only when they get credible and factual information.
Unfortunately, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a proliferation of fake news and misinformation about the disease. The scale-up effort by the MFWA is, therefore, aimed at ensuring that the public has access to verified and factual information about the disease.
“It is significant and heartwarming to have 50 media organisations spread across all the 16 regions of Ghana, delivering content in the different local languages of the country come together in a collaborative effort to enhance public education and counter fake news about the pandemic,” Sulemana Braimah, executive director of the MFWA, said.
Besides the broadcast and publication of fact-checked reports, the 50 media partners in the alliance will complement ongoing efforts at educating the public about the disease.
Apart from publications and broadcast by the media partners, all fact-checked reports are published on the fact-checking project website: www.fact-checkghana.com, and the project’s social media pages, Braimah stated.