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Election 2024: Refrain from assaulting journalists – GJA to politicians
Election 2024: Refrain from assaulting journalists – GJA to politiciansThe Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has admonished politicians to refrain from assaulting journalists as the 2024 elections approach.
The GJA has observed that politicians frequently exploit the forbearance of journalists, subjecting them to various forms of assault when the political climate becomes heated.
During his speech at the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Accra on Wednesday, Albert Dwumfour, the President of GJA, warned politicians about the repercussions of assaulting journalists.
He emphasised that any such incidents occurring before, during, or after the 2024 elections would not be taken lightly.
“As Barack Obama said, we need strong institutions, not strong individuals. We are going to do that also, I have always cautioned and always said, recently, we’ve realised that the GJA and the other media block have formed an alliance called the media coalition and we have started cautioning and exposing, unprofessional and unethical behaviour in the media among our members,” he added.
“Let me take the opportunity to once again caution politicians, groups who have the tendency of attacking journalists that in this election if you don’t have the temperature or commitment to accommodate journalists you stay away from us because if you come to us with hostility, we welcome you with hostility,” he stated.
Source:Citinewsroom.com
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Sammy Ayeh has picked up nomination forms to contest for the position of Deputy National Communications Officer position.
Announcing his intention, Dr. Ayeh said he is offering himself to help communicate the party’s vision clearly and connect its message with the aspirations of Ghanaians.
He expressed deep gratitude to the party’s National Communications Officer, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, describing him as an able leader on whose shoulders he has risen.
“His exceptional leadership, mentorship and confidence in me have shaped my journey and strengthened my resolve to serve,” Dr. Ayeh stated.
He said if elected, he will seek to build on that foundation by strengthening research-driven communication, empowering grassroots communicators, and enhancing strategic media engagement.
Dr. Ayeh humbly appealed to party members and supporters for their support.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Data Protection Commission has called on the Minority Caucus in Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media houses to protect the personal information of 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Commission expressed concern over the public disclosure of the evacuees’ personal details, including their names, signatures and records of financial assistance received.
It warned that making such information public could expose the affected individuals to identity theft, fraud and other forms of harm, especially given the threats to their safety that some of them may have faced.
The Commission explained that the 1992 Constitution protects the dignity and privacy of every individual. It also cited the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), which sets out rules for the lawful collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
While acknowledging the importance of transparency, parliamentary oversight, the right to information and press freedom, the Commission stressed that these principles do not automatically justify the unrestricted publication of personal details.
It said the disclosure of the records by the Minority Caucus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media organisations must be assessed based on the law, the purpose of the disclosure and the privacy rights of the individuals involved.
The Commission further noted that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament are registered data controllers in good standing, their registration does not exempt them from their legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.
It has therefore urged all the parties involved to take appropriate steps to protect the affected individuals, including immediately restricting access to or removing personal details from publicly available records where their continued disclosure is not legally justified.
The Commission announced plans to conduct a regulatory review to determine whether the disclosures had a lawful basis, what safeguards were applied and whether the privacy rights of the evacuees had been adequately protected.
It said it would engage the relevant parties as part of the review and take appropriate regulatory action if any breach of the law is established.
The Commission reiterated that protecting personal information and respecting human dignity must remain central to efforts to promote public accountability.
By: Jacob Aggrey
