SMOKE AND MIRRORS – HOW THE NPP MANIPULATES THE MEDIA

In case you haven’t noticed, many of our journalists have toned down their anti-government rants since this administration took over.Few try to go out on a ledge but do carefully to avoid tasting the wrath of government agents and officials. You don’t need to be told that the administration has been manipulating the masses through the media.In opposition, the used their agents in the media to plant stories that they [ads1]knew will turn us into angry mobs. The President being a powerful orator, knows the pattern of language and style to use when speaking, to dominate the media, and intimidate the media. His agents and media allies, use the smear tactics to discredit and destroy the reputation of former appointees and officials of the NDC and this technique, involves spewing of outright lies and distortion of the truth. Goebbels, was given control of some Nazi newspapers including Hitler’s party’s national newspaper and we know how he used these papers to manipulate the German people. When the German economy started deteriorating under Hitler, he [Hitler] focused all his political speeches on blaming the country’s economic woes on the Weimar Republic. This is the tactics the sitting President Nana Akufo-Addo has adopted to cover his failures, and manage the expectations of the people he promised heaven during the campaign. The President and his government are enjoying full media protection and are using their media allies to suppress the thinking of the masses. Most of the so-called powerful media houses are owned by known NPP supporters.

These proprietors of the “powerful media houses” influence editorial policies and threaten their workers who shift from his policies with dismissal. But I ask, how many of our journalists who open themselves up to manipulation, rise to stardom. The interesting and intriguing point is that the President they are protecting and afraid to criticise, became popular through his fearless and constant criticism of past regimes. You may have issues with the present political stance of Kweku Baako, Pratt and other senior journalists but the truth is that, years ago, they stood up against arbitrariness in the system against all odds, they were chased out of their homes, suffered brutalities and serious psychological trauma. They deserve the respect we accord them and must be allowed to enjoy their partial retirement. Komla Dumor suddenly, became a hero when he courageously tackled the SSNIT issue on his show, Prof PV Ansah, Kofi Koomson, Kofi Badu, Kabral and others all suffered brutalities and psychological challenges because of the stance they took against certain policies governments in the past took. These are our heroes when it comes to journalism in Ghana. Those who sold their conscience to the politicians died out with the exit of their political friends.

This ploy to destroy the credibility of people who will not mesh with theory ideas has been extended to online publishers. Editors of the popular online publishers (News portals) and editors of some newspapers are being threatened every day by some persons in government. You either succumb to their dictates or find yourself in the law court. This is the situation our journalists find themselves under this regime. The culture of silence is back, journalists are being manipulated and conditioned to protect the current administration.