Ghana’s joins the world to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside to acknowledge the need for journalists to work in an intimidation-free environment.

Despite Ghana having a fair record of journalists safety, recent reports paint a gloomy picture for pressmen and women.

Since January 2018, at least 11 journalists have come under one attack or the other, from the public and even the police.

None of these cases has been prosecuted.

On January 9, 2018, Myjoyonline’s Photojournalist, David Andoh was heckled by a police officer outside the High Court in Accra while he tried to film an altercation involving the policeman.    

On February 23, 2018 a policeman brutalised Christopher Kevin Asima, a presenter of A1 Radio in Bolgatanga while he was covering a fire outbreak incident.

March 27, 2018, Joy News’ Latif Iddrisu was brutalised by policemen at the police CID Headquarters in Accra.

He went there to enquire about a case involving the arrest and detention of opposition NDC member, Koku Anyidoho, then Deputy General Secretary of the party.

He was left with a fractured skull. Police say the CCTV footage is unable to identify the perpetrators.

On May 4, 2018, Ohemaa Sakyiwaa of Adom FM was slapped by a supporter of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the party’s headquarters.

The defence of Hajia Fati was that she taught the reporter was a supporter of a suspended member of the party who was taking pictures of her.

She has been found liable in a civil case but police prosecutors have made marginal or no progress with the assault case.

On September 12, 2018, a Joy Business reporter, Karen Dodoo and a TV3 journalist, Nana Akua, were both manhandled by staff of embattled gold dealership firm, Mangold, when clients besieged one of their premises to demand locked up funds.

On October 29, 2018, Joy News’ Kwesi Parker Wilson was slapped by a member of the security detail of former President John Mahama.

Last that was heard is that the culprit has been suspended from the detail.

The country was thrown into shock on January 17, 2019, when news broke that Ahmed Suale had been shot dead by unknown assailants the previous night.

He was part of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Tiger Eye PI team that uncovered rot in the football circles of Ghana few months before.

Three Ghanaian Times journalists were also brutalised by police on March 14, 2019.

The journalists had recorded a scene involving the police.

In April 2018, Media Foundation for West Africa published that 17 journalists had been attacked in 15 months.