President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has fired a salvo at the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo over his recent “popular and dysfunctional” comments.
Chairman of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo at an election reporting workshop for journalists organized by the GJA and the US Embassy Ghana Elections 2024 Project in Kumasi last Friday described the decision of the GJA to blacklist the MP for Awutu Senya and Minister for Fisheries Hawa Koomson and MP for Yendi Farouk Aliu Mahama for attacking journalists as unproductive and dysfunctional.
The NMC Chairman, who expressed worry over recent violent, vile attacks on journalists for exercising their primary obligation of informing the people in the Country, however said the GJA cannot fight impunity with impunity.
He said the approach by the GJA to give a black out on the two MPs is popular, it is dysfunctional.
I still hold the position that while it is disheartening for journalists to be attacked violently, the unilateral resolve to black out or boycott the MPs is not the most productive reaction.” Ayeboafo further indicated.
But the President of the GJA has taken his comments with a pinch of salt and fired a diatribe at the NMC Chairman insisting that the GJA exhausted all relevant law institutions before going ahead with the directive.
We see this situation, the media itself, as abnormal, and in abnormal situations, you don’t need dysfunctional or functional minds to treat abnormal situations. You deal with it abnormally, and that is the position of the GJA. I’m utterly shocked that no other person came here to use our platform to chastise us than the NMC Chair.
“He’s a senior journalist and a veteran he didn’t take his time to even ascertain from us what informed the decision, he hasn’t communicated to us. And he just came here to say it’s just dysfunctional? He couldn’t give us functional ways to solve it, and he has run away.”Mr Dwumfour indicated.
Meanwhile some Journalists have described the comments Mr. Ayeboafo as anti-media and have called for his resignation.
How can a Chairman of an Institution which is supposed to promote Press freedom turn against his own people.
It means he is not fit for purpose”, Michael Asumani, a senior Journalist fumed.