GJA threatens media blackout over attacks on journalists
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces to take decisive action against perpetrators of attacks on journalists. Failure to comply will result in a nationwide media blackout on all police-related activities.
The Association’s warning follows a recent spate of violent incidents involving media personnel, the latest of which occurred on July 30 during a demolition exercise at Spintex in Accra. JoyNews reporter Carlos Carlony, his cameraman, and an eyewitness were allegedly assaulted by armed military officers while covering the event.
Earlier this month, a GHOne TV journalist was attacked during the Ablekuma North parliamentary by-election. Other incidents cited by the GJA include assaults during the Council of State elections in the Ashanti Region in February, and a violent episode on May 27 during a protest organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the detention of its regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, July 31, 2025, the GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour described the situation as intolerable and warned that media houses would be directed to withhold coverage of police activities if urgent steps are not taken to ensure journalist safety.
“If the Ghana Police Service fails to act decisively within the next 7 days, the GJA, in consultation with key stakeholders, will announce a nationwide media blackout on all police activities. Instruct our members to withhold coverage of police events and editorial engagements with the police,” Mr Dwumfour stated.
He emphasised that the move was not a threat but a necessary measure to protect journalists from harm. “This is not a threat, it’s a necessary action to defend the integrity and safety of every Ghanaian journalist,” he added.
Beyond the police, the GJA also took aim at the military, demanding disciplinary action against officers implicated in the Spintex incident. The journalist involved, Carlos Carlony, has said he was clearly identifiable as a reporter when the officers attacked and forcibly detained him.
“The military should understand that failure on their part to expose and sanction the said perpetrators of this crime will have damning consequences, and we will embarrass them,” Mr Dwumfour cautioned. “We are not just serving notice. We are not threatened. We have done our work and are prepared. If you fail to do so, we shall come out boldly and expose your men.”
In response, the Ghana Armed Forces has confirmed the commencement of internal investigations into what it termed “inappropriate conduct” by its personnel.
Meanwhile, the GJA has outlined a five-point response plan should the security institutions fail to act. This includes initiating civil suits against the perpetrators, working with both local and international human rights organisations to document and pursue justice, and lobbying embassies of countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and the European Union to impose travel bans on abusive security officials.
The GJA will also petition the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS and UNESCO to impose international sanctions on offending officers, including blacklisting them from peacekeeping deployments and overseas postings. Domestically, the Association plans to urge security agencies to bar such officers from promotion and enforce internal disciplinary procedures.
These steps, the GJA insists, are critical to defending press freedom and safeguarding the role of journalists in Ghana’s democratic space.
Source: GraphicOnline