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A member of the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kojo Adu Asare, says authorities who were in charge of media relations at Ghana’s 59th Independence Day anniversary parade cannot be criticized for packing journalists into a tipper truck.
The authorities have come under intense criticism after journalists who covered the event were packed in a tipper truck to enable them take photos and video shots of President Mahama as he inspected the parade and later lit the perpetual flame at the Black Star Square.
But the former Adentan MP argued that it is unfair to blame authorities since the reporters entered the truck voluntarily.
“I am not sure there was any journalist that was dragged with a rope tied to their waist or their neck to climb onto a tipper truck. No one pulled them onto that tipper truck. They climbed it with their free will and nobody should make it look like it was somebody’s fault. If they gave you a tipper and you don’t want to get on board; don’t use it…You go and do your work and now you come back to blame someone…”
He remarked that authorities were compelled to use that particular truck for journalists that day because what they had planned to use was unavailable.
“The truck thing didn’t start from today…I learnt usually the military has a certain truck which they use but this time around, that truck was not available…”
GJA condemns move
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the treatment meted out to journalists who covered the event. The GJA in a statement described the move as “demeaning and crude.”
“The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) wishes to register strong reservations with the authorities who were in charge of media relations at the parade, held at the Black Star Square to commemorate Ghana’s 59 Independence anniversary. We unequivocally condemn the way photojournalists were made to climb into the bucket of a tipper truck with a monkey ladder, in order to cover the event and consider this not only most demeaning but crude,” a statement signed by General Secretary of GJA, Dave Agbenu added.
It stated that “the rough arrangement was carried out in the full glare of our foreign guests, smacking a lack of respect for local media personnel.”
Source: Citifmonline.com
