Ethics are guidelines and principles. They are not laws. The 1992 constitution in its letter and spirit didn’t bar journalists from commenting or participating in the political space. The one I came closer to was the ‘embargo’ on chiefs not to indulge in partisan politics. Even that, it has been flouted with impunity severally and those involved carried on shoulders hailed and lauded for making right choices depending on which political activists it favours.

The editor of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper and veteran journalist, Kweku Baako has almost all the facts with their supporting documents. Even with that, no one in Ghana needs a special lens to read meaning into his line of arguments to the extent that, when there is no NPP panellist on the most authoritative news show, Newsfile, on Joy News, many believe the party is fully represented.

You don't need any special abilities of sense to tell that the editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt ‘smells’ NDC in his submission on many platforms.

Elizabeth Ohene, one of the country’s media goddess, ones said at a forum at the World Bank in Accra to mark Komla Dumor’s anniversary that, she is not worried about the political colours of a journalist. She said a journalist can even wear the red, white, blue colours of NPP, the red black white and green colours of the NDC if possible add the all red and white of Papa Kwesi Ndoum, as long as what you’ve written about is based on facts and captivating enough, she's ready to grab that Newspaper to read.

The BBC reported on its website on November 14, 2016, that “More than 200 newspapers supported Clinton, while Trump received the backing of fewer than 20”. Ghanaians find no fault with this, they hailed it, shared it on all platforms as and when the endorsements flow.

If you're a journalist in Ghana, hailing Donald Trump or supported Hillary Clinton and following with keen interest what happens in the political space elsewhere openly yet can't do same in Ghana, you're a hypocrite. What is your definition of “neutral journalist” when you support the Republicans who are almost alike in ideals with the NPP and Democrats and the NDC sharing the same denominator?

Hypocrisy has eaten deep into ‘our’ fibre to an unimaginable depth that, we even mascaraed our conscience from seeing clearly the political colours we wear. Which journalist goes to the polls to vote and thumbprints on two political parties? Which of you hypocritically thumbprints on empty space not aligned to a political party?

I don’t need soothsayers to tell me Radio Gold is not NDC while Oman FM and Net2 are not NPP. Must we automatically think the journalists working in these media outlets are on autopilots without conscience? NO! They certainly may have their own choice to make at the polls. What bars them from speaking freely about happenings in this country when their paymasters are not the ones in government?

Some jaundice thinking individuals think as far as you’re a journalist, you have no right or sense of judgment to speak about issues of national concern when it doesn’t sit well with them. When our tax is blown on Afcon, our money wasted on the guinea fowl projects in the north etc, you want us to be quiet because it doesn’t suit your party. The silence of the majority of journalists is the cause of the worsening economic conditions we all suffer today in this country. They don’t want to speak for fear of victimisation. Unfortunately not all of us will keep mute whether is NPP, NDC, PPP or Gane who people are cheering on.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah my learned friend didn’t just hop unto the Ofoase Ayirebi NPP parliamentary seat without any prior initiation as a party member while he was looking into our eyes on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM convincing us to believe he was neutral. At least, those NDC activists who considered him NPP in those days were vindicated but it didn’t take away his quest to speak for the national interest.

The 1992 constitution of Ghana and the 24 Articles or clauses in the Ghana Journalists Association Code of Ethics never stated anywhere that journalists can’t speak freely against ills of political parties in government or opposition. Neither did it bar any journalist from aspiring to political positions. Before you tag a journalist as being political, at least do the needful, take hypocritical cataracts off your eyes, take a moment and read the facts s/he presents and make informed decisions. Your perception about him or her matters not as far as the facts are laid bare.

The writer is an Intern with the Multimedia Group and the views expressed in this article are his own and do not represent the view of where he works.