A senior lecturer at the School of Communication of the University of Ghana, Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo has stated that it is important for Anas Aremeyaw Anas to declare the sponsor of his recent investigative piece that revealed the corruption at the Tema Port by customs officials. There has been a raging debate on who sponsored the fund after the managing editor of the New Crusading Guide revealed on Joy FM that the investigation was triggered by a state institution. Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a statement released on Monday disclosed the state’s role in the investigation but declined to mention the state institution that specifically sponsored the investigation insisting that it was premature to point out the institution. But the publisher of the Enquirer Mr. Raymond Archer on Monday questioned the state funding of the latest investigative piece by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, calling it unethical and an affront to journalistic practice. Mr. Archer said for the state to fund an investigation which was meant for news purposes was unacceptable. He also insisted that the Ministry of Finance paid for the project despite denials from a deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Fifi Kwettey. Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo disagrees with this position but states it is important for Anas and his team to declare the sponsor of the project to clear the air. Dr. Gadzekpo who was speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show however believes “it does cost money to do investigative reporting. In-fact it does cost money to produce news stories. Who pays? who bears the cost; it is the problem that journalists have been struggling with all over for a long time particularly in our developmental context. “I have heard the tape of Raymond Archer on his high horse declaring that it’s unethical [for government to sponsor the investigations] but Raymond has to ask himself, who pays for the editorial content in newspapers?” she queried. She said the practice where organizations and state institutions fund certain news contents are accepted all over the world. As far as Dr. Gadzekpo is concerned, the real debate should revolve around the credibility of the sponsors of such investigative projects. She said “now the issue becomes who is an acceptable sponsor of editorial content. Raymond just went to Cote d’Ivoire, I don’t know who paid for the trip, but three different journalists of different persuasions went on that trip. I don’t imagine that each of them bore all the cost for themselves,” adding “I think what we ought to be asking ourselves is ‘who is an appropriate person to support media content and when they do, does it compromise the work of the media?’ Should we declare the interest so that everybody knows that this piece of article was sponsored by an NGO, a private corporation or the state?” She said since most media houses are struggling to survive, it becomes an onerous task to support such developmental projects without funding from external sources. “Somebody has to bear the cost and who should bear the cost?” she quizzed. She said if there was a fund that could be accessed by journalists who want to undertake such vital investigative works, it will be easy to do away with such influences from external sponsors. Story by Derick Romeo Adogla/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana