GOV’T APPOINTEES, SECURITY FORCES INTIMIDATE JOURNALISTS:▪︎ IS PRESS FREEDOM UNDER ATTACK?
Ghana’s press freedom is once again under the spotlight following a string of disturbing reports alleging attacks, harassment, and intimidation of journalists by state officials and security operatives. The recent victimization of media practitioners has sent shockwaves across newsrooms and reignited debate about the government’s commitment to safeguarding democratic rights.
A JoyNews reporter was allegedly assaulted by persons believed to be affiliated with the National Security apparatus while covering a politically sensitive event in the Greater Accra Region. Eyewitnesses claim the journalist was manhandled, his equipment seized, and his footage deleted under force. The incident has drawn condemnation from media watchdogs and civil society organizations.
Meanwhile, in the Western North Region, a group of local journalists say they are being harassed and unfairly targeted for simply carrying out their duties. According to multiple sources, reporters who questioned government appointees on developmental issues have since been threatened, denied access to public events, or unfairly branded as “anti-government.”
“We are only doing our job,” one affected journalist from the region told The Crusading Guide. “But now, some of us are afraid to even ask questions at press conferences. The intimidation is real — and it’s getting worse.”
Several journalists have also accused elements within the Ghana Police Service of harassment and abuse of power. In one recent case, a reporter from a local FM station was allegedly detained without charge after filming a police operation in a public space. Despite identifying himself as a journalist, he was reportedly held for hours and forced to delete his recordings.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has issued a stern statement demanding immediate investigations into all reported cases of abuse. “The repeated targeting of journalists by security officers and public officials is unacceptable in any democratic society,” the statement read. “Freedom of the press is not a privilege — it is a right enshrined in the Constitution of Ghana.”
Human rights groups have also raised concerns, warning that if such patterns continue, Ghana’s reputation as one of Africa’s beacons of democracy may suffer irreversible damage. “The silence of top government officials on these matters is deafening,” said a representative of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). “This culture of fear must stop.”
Ironically, the country continues to celebrate its credentials in international forums as a champion of democracy and free expression. However, media practitioners on the ground paint a very different picture — one of increasing self-censorship, fear of reprisal, and erosion of professional freedom.
The question on the minds of many now is: Is press freedom in Ghana genuinely protected, or is it merely a façade crumbling under the weight of political intolerance and unchecked security power?
As journalists continue to face intimidation for doing their jobs, all eyes are now on the government, law enforcement agencies, and the public to rise in defense of the fourth estate — the bedrock of
