The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, has described as “dysfunctional and unproductive” recent calls by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) for media houses to blacklist two politicians accused of aiding attacks on journalists.

Citi FM’s Northern regional correspondent, Mohammed Aminu Alabira was allegedly attacked by the Member of Parliament for Yendi Constituency, Farouk Aliu Mahama, while covering the NPP’s parliamentary primaries.

Supporters of the MP for the Awutu Senya East Constituency, Mavis Hawa Koomson, are also accused of attacking a journalist in the Central region.

The NMC Chair, while condemning assaults on journalists, asked that victims access legal avenues to fight such acts of impunity against journalists.

Mr Boadu Ayeboafo, however, holds the opinion that the directive by the GJA for the media to blacklist perpetrators of such violence is not in the interest of the public.

“I still hold the position that while it is disheartening for journalists to be attacked violently, the unilateral resolve to black out or boycott MPs is not the most productive reaction,”he told an election reporting workshop for journalists in Kumasi.

“We cannot fight impunity with impunity. I will support any effort to ensure that justice is done against all such deviant acts, rather than blackout or boycott. We must follow the rule of law and due process. Condemning such acts is in order but not the boycotts.”

He added that “while the call for boycott or blackout may be popular, it may not be productive or functional to the public interest.”

President of GJA, Albert Dwumfour, is however shocked and disappointed in the comments of the NMC Chair.

He described the posture of the NMC Chair as unfortunate because the GJA exhausted all relevant processes before issuing its directive.

“In every extraordinary situation, you take extraordinary decisions. We see this situation the media finds itself as abnormal, and in abnormal situations, you don’t need a dysfunctional or functional mind to treat abnormal situations.

"You deal with it abnormally, and that is the position of the GJA. I’m utterly shocked that no other person came here to use our platform to chastise us than the NMC Chair,” said the GJA President.

Mr Dwumfour expected the NMC Chair to have first inquired and ascertained what informed the GJA’s decision before his criticism.

“What has the NMC done to promote and ensure the independence and freedom of the media in this country?”he quizzed.

“It is the responsibility of the NMC to provide the enabling environment for journalists to thrive. Often we see the NMC sanctioning journalists and media houses to go and apologise or go and do this or that; when at all has the NMC sanctioned perpetrators of an attack on journalists?”he asked.

The GJA President believes it is in the collective interest of Ghanaians to amplify voices against attacks on journalists, while perpetrators are brought to book.