General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, Kofi Yeboah is advocating that the law that criminalises the publication of false news should be repealed.
According to him, there are other ways of seeking redress if an individual feels a publication might have damaged his or her reputation.
“I think there are other laws we can apply to address this issue and a person that is aggrieved by a publication of a sort may have recourse to several avenues. You can exercise your right to a rejoinder, you can file a complaint at the NMC which is also a provision in the constitution. You can sue for defamation - defamation can be a punitive thing,” he said.
Speaking on The Law on JoyNews, he explained that matters regarding false news were best handled as civil cases rather than criminal offenses.
“Why wouldn’t we want to go through the civil procedures and even the manner these cases are handled. In the case of Bobie Ansah, it was something against the First Lady. The First Lady can sue for defamation, you don’t need, in my humble view, to apply criminal law,” he said on Sunday.
He continued that the way the law of false publication was applied seemed mischievous, the more reason to review it.
The General Secretary added that his advocacy was not a license for the media to act irresponsibly. However, he believes the National Media Commission (NMC), the body with the mandate of registering, regulating, and monitoring the media, was best to handle such issues.
When asked which other stringent way individuals could apply in holding media in check since the NMC could not enforce orders, he said “In the case of NMC for example, why would we not consider this popular view that the NMC should be empowered to enforce its orders,” he said.
Latest Stories
-
Man remanded for uploading nude videos of a lady he lured into a relationship
3 hours -
Explainer: What is the Cash Waterfall Mechanism?
4 hours -
Survivors of child trafficking overcome adversity, excel in tertiary education
4 hours -
Confront the barriers to your progress – Professor Lydia Aziato challenges the youth
5 hours -
Expertise France leads EU-funded initiative empowering African Journalists to combat human trafficking
5 hours -
Ghana Grows Programme empowers Ghanaian youth through Youth Policy Dialogue
5 hours -
Eastern NDC raises GHS5.4m to support Mahama’s 2024 campaign
5 hours -
Kumawood actress Akyere Bruwaa condemns death rumours
5 hours -
Ghana Institution of Engineering calls for proactive measures to prevent flood disaster
5 hours -
Who pays for the extra cost? – COCOBOD CEO questions EU on new regulations
5 hours -
‘Dumsor’ will be over by end of May – Former NPP MP assures
6 hours -
Power crisis is not about money – NPP Manifesto Committee member
6 hours -
Education Minister urges graduates to embrace opportunities
6 hours -
UN rights chief ‘horrified’ by mass grave reports at Gaza hospitals
6 hours -
We need more resources to deal with flooding – NADMO
6 hours