Appointing a Foreign Affairs minister is like giving a 4-year full expenses paid holiday trip to the winner of TV show 'Who wants to be Rich?'.

I mean if you sent a questionnaire to ask Ghanaians to rate the effectiveness of the Foreign Affairs minister, chances are, appearing in a TV bulletin once every three months is a good sign that the minister is doing a good job.

And it is because Ghana is an internationally insignificant country, that the Foreign Affairs ministry can be one place where you can cool off, travel, enjoy ministerial life and luxury until this happens.....

Ghanaian murdered as South Africa's xenophobic attacks intensify

All of a sudden like an ignored last baby in the family, the work of the Ministry can come under immediate scrutiny like coming home to face your parents, when you're carrying aggregate 36 at WASSCE.

Okay so let’s get a response from the Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh.

"I will not speak to you!" - Foreign Minister tells Joy FM

Of course, Hannah Tetteh has the right to determine which station she wants to talk to. That’s her fundamental human right.

And of course, she has the right to bear a grudge too. That’s what 15-year olds do.

The controversy that her snub has generated raises concerns about how a public official can become the story and overshadow the real issue.

For the stats, let’s put it this way: Hannah Tetteh’s snub generated 24,486 readers. Ghanaians in xenophobic SA who are pleading to come home had – 15,503.

So as far as myjoyonline.com is concerned, Hannah Tetteh’s snub is competing for as much attention as the fear-gripped Ghanaians in SA.

For some folks on social media, the snub has become that rallying point for a pro-government hate movement against Joy FM.

Good luck with that.

Using the pride-infested comments to fuel and fan your hatred for a media house is as bizarre as those who are rejoicing at Boko Haram’s warning to SA to stop xenophobic attacks…. or else.

Hannah’s pride like Boko Haram’s sadism is an issue we must deal with. And rejoicing in it makes you sound like a new strand of sadism which Edwinology's Lab is testing for symptoms and causes.

Political insiders say the reason why Hannah Tetteh did not contest for a second term as NDC MP in Awutu Senya was because she found the idea of contesting a primary with other NDC aspirants – condescending.

So we have a proud woman on our hands here.

For sympathisers who would egg Hannah Tetteh on, Hannah really thinks your party is indeed an egg. Something to be trampled upon.

Many feel journalism standards are falling. Multimedia is doing the job of the opposition. They claim that the CNN, BBC standard that Joy FM has is peeling off.

Well, apparently Joy FM’s CNN standard is not the only thing that is falling. CNN’s own CNN standard is falling too.

Read these.

Criticizing CNN: Goodbye to that.

CNN criticized for Steubenville verdict coverage

Is It Time to Give Up on CNN?

American TV networks criticised for sensational coverage of the Ottawa shooting

Jon Stewart Looks Back On 15 Years Of Mocking CNN

CNN was criticized for using a photograph of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher with disgraced BBC presenter Jimmy Savile four times during coverage of her death on April 8, 2013.

CNN apologized for a May 15, 2003, story in which CNN's John Zarella and Broward County, Florida Sheriff Ken Jenne demonstrated the rapid firing of fully-automatic firearms while covering the federal Assault Weapons Ban, due to expire the following year.

And then there is the most-loved comedian cum political commentator Jon Stewart who has made an illustrious career pointing out CNN’s errors.

For more of CNN’s blunders and falling standards,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN_controversies

Sometimes, I think those who think they know the standard, don’t really know what the standard is.

If an identification parade was organised and they were asked to identify the standard, they just wouldn't notice it.

Identification parade

So is this justification? Yes –

And No. It is not justification; it is saying ‘just-listen-to-yourself’ talk about standards sometimes.

Of course in the media industry, every station needs to be pushed. And those who are pushed the hardest the most are not those down there. They are usually those up there.

It is like an Indian parent angry with his son for scoring 88% in maths. While in Ghana, a school boy in Akatsi is being hailed by the town for 55% in English.

Of course, we need to improve the way the media works. It is such a good feeling when you do a good story.

Ghana’s media is facing great challenges. It is not how it used to be anymore. Consumers and audience have grown very demanding. The wall is being pushed. Getting the news fast, accurate, balanced story in the face of competition is a juggling act. A possible but difficult juggling.

Okay so how can we all help improve the standard. Journalists must take more responsibility. Yes.

Is that all?

For those standard-carriers on facebook, just know that journalist have been crying, weeping, begging, cajoling, caressing, using every tactic Delilah employs to get government to pass the Right to Information Bill and the Broadcasting Bill.

The Broadcasting Bill and Right to Information Bill makes a slow escape to become law.

For over 8 years, under the watch of three presidents, more than 250 ministers and deputy ministers and over 650 MPs the Right to Information Bill is like a 13 year old in KG 2. It never gets promoted into law.

According to experts the Broadcasting Bill which is expected to bring remarkable sanity into journalism and broadcasting is still being discussed after over four years.

And this doesn’t happen to every bill you know? Some laws, agreements get to use the bullet train to Parliament.

It is called ‘the certificate of urgency’.

Even as government tarries on the passage into law of the Petroleum Exploration and Production bill, four new oil contracts have been awarded under a so-called “certificate of urgency”.

The first two, involving AGM Petroleum and Cola Natural Resources, were approved by parliament in December 2013; and the second two involving CAMAC Energy Ghana Limited and Base Energy Ghana, and AMNI International Petroleum Development Company (Ghana) Limited, have just been approved by parliament

For more read :http://www.reportingoilandgas.org/is-ghana-throwing-away-i…/

So on this Hannah Tetteh issue, we really need to save the name-calling for the two parties that have government in the past 14 years.

Going for a golden interview from Radio Gold

E-Lab resists the attempt to drive a wedge between Radio Gold and Joy Fm. Media houses share information all the time. That's why media houses often refrain from having a go at each other. We are brothers in the fourth estate - not dueling partners in an Olympic game.

Radio Gold as a pro-NDC radio station takes a strong stance for government.

Strong stance – now that’s the word.

Which is not bad. In fact, I could call it commendable simply because I have always had some level of suspicion for people who shy away from taking a stance – in-the-middle-kind-of-people.

E-Lab loves people who show guts, grit and gusto. And that’s what Radio Gold tries to do for government.

But here is where you draw the line.

If you ask Radio Gold to answer this objective question with the following possible answers;

Does Woyome’s trial show a deliberate attempt to create, loot and share?

[A] Not really [D] Yes [C] No [D] Not at all.

And Radio Gold were to choose [D] ?

Then you cannot really accuse Radio Gold of falling standards because it may have never risen.

In all this brouhaha of criticisms, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa granted an interview to Joy FM and spoke in a way that left you in no wonder that this man understands his job.

Kwesi Ahwoi spoke as someone who knows people are listening to him. Ghanaians are listening to him.

And E-Lab couldn’t help wonder how such finesse is a High Commissioner while those suffering from delusions of grandeur sit in Cabinet meetings.

Ah well, as we have all been saying – standards are indeed falling.

The worse E-Lab has read is that some people have likened Hannah Tetteh’s snub to how Alex Ferguson boycotted the BBC while manager at Manchester United Football Club.

Okay.

The poverty of this comparison is not lost on E-Lab.

How can you compare the pride of a highly decorated club manager with a highly competitive streak in him to a minister who is disdainful of competition that she could not stand re-election politics?

Ah well, then again as we have all been saying – ‘standards have fallen’.