The West Africa Editors Society (WAES) expressed serious concern on Tuesday over a recent Ghanaian court ruling, warning that it poses a serious threat to the country’s press freedom and investigative journalism.
The Society, which made its position known through its Interim President, Mr. Emmanuel Dogbevi, also criticised a decision by Justice Nana Brew of Human Rights Court 2 in Accra, which ruled against investigative journalist Innocent Samuel Appiah.
A businesswoman, Cynthia Adjei had sued Mr. Appiah following an investigation into her business activities.
The investigation examined Mrs. Adjei’s business registration, tax obligations and access to government land, matters WAES described as being clearly in the public interest. Despite this, the court ruled in favour of Mrs. Adjei, citing concerns over her right to privacy.
WAES said it was particularly troubled by the judge’s suggestion that the journalist should have taken his findings to state investigative agencies such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), instead of publishing them.
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According to the editors’ body, such a position has the potential to silence journalists and reduce them to informants for law enforcement agencies, thereby undermining the core role of the media in a democratic society.
“Journalism is a public good and journalists must be free to report on matters of public interest without fear of reprisal or intimidation through the courts,” Mr. Dogbevi said in the statement.
He warned that the growing use of lawsuits to stop journalists and media organisations from publishing investigative stories does not reflect well on Ghana, a country widely regarded as a model of multiparty democracy in the sub-region.
“I urge Ghanaian journalists to remain resolute in the pursuit of their constitutional obligations to expose wrongdoing, hold power to account and inform the public. History will be their best judge,” Mr. Dogbevi added.
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WAES also expressed concern over what it described as an apparent attempt at censorship, noting that Mrs. Adjei is connected to a politically exposed person. Her husband, the society said, is a public figure who has headed state enterprises that have had business dealings with her company.
The society called on Ghana’s justice system to ensure that its decisions do not undermine press freedom, which it said is critical to the sustenance of democracy. It urged the courts to uphold constitutional guarantees that allow journalists to operate freely, as long as they adhere to the law and ethical standards of the profession.
WAES warned that rulings of this nature send the wrong signal and threaten the ability of journalists to report in the public interest.
The West Africa Editors Society is a regional body representing editors across West Africa and is affiliated with The African Editors Forum (TAEF), the continental association of editors in Africa.
