By Joyce Danso
Accra, Jan. 31, GNA – Mr Albert Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), says attacks on journalists in Ghana have risen to alarming and unacceptable levels, creating a climate of fear and intimidation.
In January 2026 alone, five cases of attacks on journalists had been reported, with three allegedly perpetrated by state security agencies, he noted.
“These incidents are not isolated, accidental or insignificant. They represent a disturbing pattern of violence, intimidation, harassment and abuse directed at journalists in the lawful discharge of their duties,” he said.
Mr Dwumfour was speaking in Accra on Friday at a high-level stakeholders’ engagement on the safety of journalists.
The meeting brought together heads of media institutions, media owners, editors, senior journalists, press freedom partners, past GJA executives, the National Media Commission, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), and representatives of new media, among others.
The engagement sought to discuss expectations of media owners and partners regarding safety standards, legal and medical support for assaulted journalists, unified industry advocacy for accountability, support for the journalists’ safety framework, as well as training and capacity-building on security issues.
Mr Dwumfour noted that beyond physical assaults, journalists covering sensitive issues, particularly the Bawku conflict in the Upper East Region, had been subjected to coordinated death threats, online abuse and incitement to violence.
“Some have been openly branded as enemies simply for doing their jobs. This dangerous climate of fear and intimidation, if left unchecked, could easily escalate into mob violence,” he warned.
The GJA President said when a journalist was attacked for recording a public event, threatened for critical commentary or assaulted for asking legitimate questions, it was not only the individual who suffered.
“It is the very foundation of our democratic society that is shaken. An attack on a journalist is an attack on the public’s right to know.”
Mr Dwumfour said Article 162 of the 1992 Constitution guaranteed the freedom and independence of the media.
“That freedom becomes hollow and meaningless if journalists operate under fear, intimidation or the expectation that their attackers will enjoy impunity. The State has a supreme duty to create and protect an enabling environment for media freedom,” he said.
In response to persistent attacks, Mr Dwumfour said the GJA had deliberately adopted a blacklisting strategy against high-profile individuals whose supporters assaulted journalists.
“This decision was strategic, principled and targeted. Let me state clearly: the strategy worked. It sent a strong signal that attacks on journalists carry consequences, reputational costs and sustained public scrutiny,” he added.
The meeting, he said, was aimed at strengthening, institutionalising and collectively owning measures required to end attacks on journalists.
Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, former President of the GJA, urged media owners to support the Association in its fight against attacks on journalists by speaking up against the menace.
She called on media owners to provide safety gadgets for journalists and support training to help them assess risks and retreat when necessary.
Professor Amin Alhassan, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), said journalists played a critical role in holding public and private office holders accountable.
Attacks on journalists amounted to condoning violence and undermining democracy, he said, and appealed to the GJA to name and shame perpetrators of attacks against journalists.
Stakeholders at the meeting would issue a communiqué with clear commitments and timelines to ensure a coordinated, industry-wide response that protects journalists, strengthens editorial independence, reinforces Ghana’s democratic credentials and ends attacks and impunity.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe