Vice President of the Private Newspaper and Online Publishers Association (PRINPAG), David Tamakloe has shared his observations of media reportage of the ongoing election petition.
According to him, the media has not been innovative with the angles of news stories from the proceedings. He noted that unlike the media reportage of the 2012 election petition, the current situation seems to pose a picture of the media treading carefully.
Speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on e.TV Ghana’s ‘Fact Sheet’ Show, he stated: “People appear to be very careful of what they say so we don’t see too much of the media being too innovative with headlines. It looks more of the media going to the court to carry what the witnesses have said or what the lawyers or judges may have said”.
Meanwhile David Tamakloe is of the view that this current occurrence may be as a result of people “being afraid or careful or they have learnt a few things from the last election petition in 2012”.
In July 2013, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, Ken Kuranchie, was sentenced to 10 days in jail for criminal contempt of the court during the 2012 election petition hearing.
The paper’s editorials, namely “Can We Comment on Decisions of the Supreme Court Hearing or Not” and “Is There Justice In The Land?” discussed the court’s handling of a challenge by the opposition party to the results of the December 2012 presidential elections.
On July 11, 2013, Ken Kuranchie was released and he subsequently rendered a public apology for his articles.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
