Journalists Are Not Enemies” – President Mahama Calls for End to Media Harassment

President John Dramani Mahama has issued a strong statement defending journalists against harassment, declaring that media professionals are not adversaries but essential partners in Ghana’s democratic process.

“Journalists are not your enemies. They are there to do their legitimate job of informing the people, and so they are not subject to harassment,” President Mahama stated during his engagement with Ghana Journalist Association at the Presidency today Friday 5th September, 2025

The President expressed concern about the persistent mistreatment of journalists by security personnel, sharing his personal observations from public events. “Many times when I go to a function and I’m seated, I normally look at the way the journalists are being handled, and you find that there are some security personnel who just have a knack for harassing journalists,” he said.

Direct Presidential Intervention:

President Mahama revealed that he has personally intervened to protect journalists from harassment. “I mean, they are not harming anybody. They are standing, they are filming. Then somebody comes. You can’t stand here. You can’t stand their move… And so sometimes I have to shout and say, leave them. Let them do their job,” the President recounted.

Call for Security Agency Reform:

The President emphasized that journalists “are reporting something that is happening, and so they must be giving a free leverage to be able to do their reporting.” He specifically called out various security agencies for their treatment of media personnel.

“Some of them are police officers, some are military officers. Some are national security, and especially national security… they don’t have training to understand that journalists are doing their work,” President Mahama observed.

Proposed Solution: Inter-Agency Dialogue:

To address these challenges, President Mahama announced plans to establish a formal dialogue mechanism. He stated that he had instructed “ministers of security agencies, to create a certain forum where the Journalists Association and these security agencies can interact, so that it sends a message to them that, look, journalists are not your enemies.”

Ghana’s Declining Press Freedom Rankings:

The President acknowledged Ghana’s deteriorating position in international media freedom rankings, noting “we’ve seen a consistent decline in our ranking, international rankings, and that is an issue of concern for us, and part of it is because of issues to do with harassment of journalists, and even the unfortunate murder of Ahmed Suale, which caught international attention.”

Need for Deterrent Measures:

President Mahama stressed the importance of accountability, stating: “We need to find a way of one ensuring that people, when they do that kind of thing, face sanctions or are punished, because once there’s no deterrent, they continue to do it.”

Education and Awareness Campaign:

Beyond punitive measures, the President called for comprehensive education to change attitudes toward journalists. “We need to create awareness in the minds of these people… that journalists are doing their work. You have the job of protecting the VIP, or whatever, the journalists who have their work of reporting,” he explained.

The President’s statements come as Ghana seeks to restore its reputation as a beacon of press freedom in West Africa, addressing concerns about the safety and working conditions of media professionals across the country.