Sagnarigu legislator Alhassan Bashir Fuseini has disagreed with the Speaker of Parliament’s threat to journalists who cover stories outside the chamber while parliament is sitting.

The former Political Editor of the Daily Graphic said Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye contradicted his own statement by doing exactly what he is speaking up against. 

“Sometimes Mr Speaker himself leaves the chamber, goes to do other business in his office or in other offices and the media would have to follow him.

“So if under no circumstance they are supposed to leave the chamber, while proceedings are ongoing, even his own conduct - when he has to leave the chamber and the media has to follow him betrays that directive...” he told Daniel Dadzie on the Super Morning Show, Wednesday.

The vociferous MP added, “more importantly, we are saying that when given accreditation to cover parliament, we are talking of parliament as an institution, we are talking of proceedings of parliament to encompass more than even those just in the chamber.

“There are caucuses and others who are going to hold press briefings and press conferences. And even individual ranking members, chairmen and others. They brief the media; in the foyer, in the coffee shop and all those things are within the precincts of parliament.

“So covering proceedings of parliament of necessity must include and encompass all these,” and not only proceedings on the floor.

Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Quaye

The Speaker said that journalists who have been accredited to cover parliament proceedings are guests should be in the chamber at all times when parliament is in session, if not their media accreditation will be revoked.

However, the journalist believes that though Parliament grants media an accreditation, they do not determine what makes the news.

“In any case, the editorial content of the media houses is not decided by parliament. Parliament may accord them accreditation but what goes into the editorial content is a function of the determination of the media houses themselves.

“Inasmuch as you go to parliament on the invitation of the Speaker and you are looking for news, it is not as if you will just confine yourself to the chamber even when there is breaking news outside. 

“I’m a media man myself and all of us know that the media thrives on the news; where the news is, is where the media gravitates. So it’s like telling a firefly in the darkness to not gravitate towards light.”

“It’s not possible, it’s natural and that is even where you will thrive and exist,” he stressed.

“The greater part of the news is not almost always in the chamber. It’s outside and so if you confine yourself and your colleagues are outside making the news, your news your editor will be calling you because you are not there.”

On the other hand, the Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who criticised the media’s judgement to leave the chamber to cover a press briefing by Ellembelle MP defended the Speaker’s statement.

He said the Speaker’s statement was ‘friendly advice’. 

A.B.A Fuseini although said that the Speaker could have phrased it differently.

“It doesn't gel and I thought if it was an advice, it could have been that ‘look try as much as possible to spend some considerable time in the chamber, even when you think you have to go outside and do a few things, yes do that and come back,’ that one will constitute as advice but not when you follow it with a threat,” he said.

Media organisations and journalists have widely criticised the Speaker’s threat against their practices; with some saying it’s media censorship and an attempt to gag the media.