Is the brown envelope (Soli) a threat to journalism in Ghana ?

It is another day worldwide, in Ghana specifically to turn on television, tune in to Radio, and observe social media to listen to current affairs. How can one know the happenings in the society?

Journalists feed society with news to satisfy their cravings. Society is not complete without journalists. One may ask why journalism is such a pertinent element of society.

Journalism is relevant in our daily lives. Journalists often possess the spirit of curiosity which is popularly referred to in the Akan language as “Konkonsa “
Journalists are expected to maintain high journalistic standards by speaking the truth regardless.

Working with facts and balancing stories. Verily, we often baffle our minds with journalism and presentation. Do we think anyone who can speak well is called a journalist?

Before one calls himself a journalist, the person must have gone through the requisite training and acquaintance of the necessary skills needed. We mostly see journalists in frequent times under the scorchy sun and in heavy rains in quest for news.

Seems, the priority of journalism is society. Though the government has guaranteed the freedom of the press under the 1992 constitution, journalists have bounds. Under no instance should a journalist abuse his/her power. I have realised in recent times that it is the duty of journalists to be the voice for the voiceless but some journalists go to the extreme point of breaching the law guiding that.

Just like any other profession, journalists also face challenges. To me, the salaries of journalists are nothing to take home. Journalists work immensely for society and receive a very meager salary at the end of the month. There have been many cases where journalists have been assassinated which has made the profession unattractive.

Here comes the topic of interest, “brown envelope “
Is it a bribery scandal for a journalist to be invited to a program and given a token or a gift in the form of money?

Does this affect the principles of good journalism?
As a student journalist, I found out from some journalists, the impact of brown journalism.

Journalist 1″ Yes, a brown envelope has an impact on our work. It depends on the kind of story you are covering. You are expected to kill the story if you receive a brown envelope”. According to her, she is sometimes lured by gifts she receives but her code of ethics deter her from being influenced.

“Sometimes you are invited to a program and at the end, your transportation and other costs are reimbursed. But you come home and realize the money exceeds the proposed amount. I need all journalists to comprehend that these are temptations.

And we should not fall for them. We should therefore uphold our integrity as expected of us” she said.
Speaking with a journalist at Promise Broadcasting Limited, Nana Ama Ntsiful, she also emphasized the fact that the brown envelope is used as a medium for newsmakers to dictate for journalist.

“I call it cash for coverage. Brown Envelope usually referred to in the Journalism space as ‘Soli’ is damaging the reputation of the country’s free press. Although the majority of journalists may be relaxed about it, the public is not.

The situation is now pervasive where journalists see ‘soli’ as mandatory or entitlement when they cover an event. Some group of journalists would tear their throats just to receive soli.

With this, the trust and confidence in journalists is reducing by the day. Many believe that stories are skewed to favor some individuals because they pay more, whilst other think that the situation induces unfair reportage, mudslinging on the airwaves plus concocted stories.

The media is gradually losing its trust in the public eye. This has also lent credence to several disrespects towards the media.

Most reporters are not respected because event organizers believe, they are the ones feeding you and must kowtow to their whims and caprices.
With this, organizers do not respect time schedules for events. They summon the courage to dictate to editors and journalists the placement of their stories which threatens the independence of the media. If the issue of soli is not addressed head-on, journalists would be rendered useless and would not serve as a catalyst for national development”. She said.

Is the brown envelope a threat to the Journalism profession?
I advise all journalists to work in accordance with the GJA code of ethics.

Article By: Francisca Nanaba Amoako