Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who is yet to premier another documentary set to expose corruption in Ghanaian football has received a lot of negative views on his methods of investigation.
Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and Mr. Martin Amidu are among people who have expressed divergent views on the modus operandi and work of the journalist.
Some say that he induces the ‘victims’/’culprits’ and captures them as being corrupt.
Some also hold the view that the journalist just wants to enrich himself.
Thoughts and opinions have been shared all over traditional and social media, on the recent release of a photo purported to be Anas Aremeyaw Anas, allegedly by Mr. Kennedy Agyapong, who has vowed to bring the journalist down.
The hashtag ‘#IstandforAnas’ is currently trending on social media by people who support the work of the investigative journalist.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in a press release has said that Anas Aremeyaw Anas has received many death threats following his latest investigation titled ‘Number 12’, which is to be premiered in Accra on 6th June, 2018 and 7th June, 2018.
The statement signed by the GJA President, Mr. Affail Monney highlighted the several images posted on social media and asserted that the images are not the real identity of the investigative journalist.
The Association has urged the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigation and other security agencies to provide security to Anas Aremeyaw Anas, his family and his properties.
To the question of whether or not the methods employed by the journalist is true investigative journalism, Mr. Carlton Cofie, former investigative journalism lecturer of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, in an interview with GhanaJustice.com said that the ethics of journalism demand that you do not break the law in investigating a story.
He added that inducement is against the law and ethics and it is therefore wrong to trap people in an attempt to expose corruption. According to Mr. Cofie, ethically, a journalist must ask himself if he can tell the means by which he obtained the information.
“Sometimes journalists use inducement to expose corruption, but they must first justify the public interest”, he added.
The former investigative journalism lecturer in conclusion, said that there must be a clear proof that the harm caused in exposing the wrong doing is not greater than the wrong doing being so exposed.
Source: GhanaJustice/F.Kyeremateng
