Renowned lawyer, Martin Kpebu, has urged media owners in Ghana to pay their journalists well to prevent them from being unduly influenced by some
Renowned lawyer, Martin Kpebu, has urged media owners in Ghana to pay their journalists well to prevent them from being unduly influenced by some factions of the public, particularly politicians.
Speaking at the 3rd Press Freedom Series public lecture on Friday, April 29, the lawyer indicated that when journalists are paid well, they can take care of their needs, making it easy for them to stick to the ethics of their profession.
He added that because some persons in Ghana know that most journalists are poorly paid, they entice them with money to prevent them from reporting credible news.
“… we should also be looking out for the condition of service of media men and women. From the little that I gather, the conditions are generally not good. So, we should be pushing that owners of media stations will pay journalists for the work done; they should be paid meaningful salaries, salaries that can take them home.
“… if you don’t (pay them well) then that is how come the politicians influence journalist because he knows that this journalist is not well paid so I can find him some money and then he kills the story. If journalists are well-taken care of, there will be no need (for them) to approach politicians or any other persons in the society for them to help,” he said.
The 3rd Press Freedom Series public lecture is organised by the United Press for Development Network (UPDN) and is intended to honour the memory of Mr. Ahmed Hussein-Suale and other slain journalists.
The initiative is aimed at encouraging investigative journalism and establishing a platform for speaking out against impunity for media brutality, injustice, and human rights violations.
Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an associate of fellow Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, was murdered on Wednesday, January 16 2019. He was shot three times while in his vehicle, twice in the chest and once in the neck, by two unidentified men on motorbikes.
Ahmed Hussein-Suale was a member of an investigative firm called the Tiger Eye Private Investigations. This firm investigated corruption in the Ghana Football Association named Number 12, which led to the dismissal and ban of its president, Kwesi Nyantakyi. He was also part of an investigative journalism piece in collaboration with the BBC into human body parts sold for rituals in Malawi.
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