President John Dramani Mahama has raised concerns about the treatment of journalists by some security personnel, including officers of the police, military, and national security.
He recounted instances where journalists, while performing their duties by filming or reporting, are needlessly harassed or ordered to move without justification.
“There are some security personnel who just have a knack for harassing journalists. They are not harming anybody. They are standing, they are filming. Then somebody comes: ‘You can’t stand there, move.’ And I ask, what have they done? So sometimes I have to intervene and say, leave them, let them do their job,” the President said.
Speaking during a courtesy call by executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), President Mahama stressed that journalists play a vital role in informing the public and should not be seen as adversaries.
To curb such incidents, he proposed the creation of a platform for regular engagement between security agencies and the GJA. This, he explained, would foster mutual understanding of roles, promote professionalism, and reinforce the message that journalists are partners in nation-building.
