Two Daily Graphic reporters clash over Flagstaff House media treatment

Moses Dotse Aklorbotu, Daily Graphic

Two senior reporters of the state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper, Kwame Asare Boadu and Moses Dotse Aklorbotu, have clashed over alleged maltreatment of journalists at the Presidency. There have been several reports of ill-treatment of the Presidential Press corps under President John Mahama. The recent ones include the circumstances surrounding the rented presidential press corps bus that was involved in an accident. That accident killed one member of the press corps and injured seven other journalists who were returning from the Volta Region after covering the President.

That same day, the head of the communication team at the Presidency, Stan Dogbe, attacked and destroyed a voice recorder of a journalist from the state broadcaster.

A documentary by Joy FM’s Manasseh Azure Awuni  reveals how he spoke against such maltreatment in 2012 but was told by a media coordinator at the Presidency that the situation would not change.

Many have called for sanctions against Stan Dogbe. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) presented a petition signed by over 150 journalists to the Presidency, asking President Mahama to “appropriate actions against Mr. Stan Dogbe,” the man some have described as the president’s most trusted confidante. Mr. Stan Dogbe has not apologised, neither has he been reprimanded. The President only apologised publicly for harsh remarks made by the Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor. This was after the Power Minister retorted sharply that those demanding to know when the power crisis would end should go and ask the President.

In the 11 November 2015 edition of the Daily Graphic ,its presidential reporter , Kwame Asare Boadu, sought to whitewash and paint a perfect picture of the Presidency and its handling of journalists . Amongst others, he said Stan Dogbe’s character only appeared complex to “outsiders” or the “uninitiated.” His posture is not very different from that of many presidential correspondents, who would not say anything bad about the Presidency or its treatment of journalists.

But Kwame Asare Boadu’s article did not go down well with some journalists, including Daily Graphic’s Western Regional reporter, Moses Dotse Aklorbotu. Mr. Aklorbotu, who is also the Western Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, wrote a rejoinder less than 12 hours of the publication of his  colleague’s article.

His rejoinder was published on Graphiconline but deleted shortly after its publication. It is unclear why the rejoinder has not been published in the printed version of the paper or got deleted from its website, but manassehazure.com has secured the full article. Below is the full rejoinder which was written by Moses Dotse Aklorbotu:

Part of Kwame Asare Boadu’s article published in the Daily Graphic

Re: Media operations in flagstaff House

Dear Editor, I read with absolute shock and dismay, the publication in your esteemed newspaper, the Daily Graphic with the caption, “Media Operations in Flagstaff House,” which seems to be praise singing instead of chronicling the unacceptable posture of the Head of Communication at the Presidency.

My attention was drawn to the publication by some members of the Press corps, with several years of experience covering the presidency, who complain about the bad treatment meted out to them by the “head of communications” and how they feel betrayed by the article.

In the said article, the writer who is also a member of the press corps, painted a lovely picture of the Head of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Stan Dogbe, who has dominated the headlines for his unfair posture and autocratic handling of issues.

The writer suggested that, there was “no interference between the Presidency and Mass Media and that the leader of the press provides information on activities at the flagstaff house.”

It is interesting that the reports reaching me as an executive member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Western Regional Chairman of the GJA,  are contrary  what the writer portrayed.

In my life as a young journalist, I have the trust of my colleagues from the Presidency, who tell me things about discrimination and how Mr Dogbe, who is said to be a proud member of the Daily Express newspaper, decides who travels with the president locally and internationally.

In recent visits to the Western Region, I asked of the whereabouts of my senior colleagues, Ebo Hanson, as well as reporters from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and Ghanaian Times. One of the staff from the presidency said “they are not on this shift and that the presidency has a cameraman who would feed Graphic and Times.” I found this strange.

Stan Dogbe

The writer again indicated that “every President comes into office with a personal style.” This is not true. President John Dramani Mahama is not just a trained journalist but also a paid-up member of GJA. Coming into office with his own style by endorsing the Head of Communication to run shift journalism with sovereign media houses is therefore extraordinary.

Again ,  I have covered three presidential reigns in my journalism career: Presidents John Agyekum Kufour, John Evans Atta-Mills and  current president, John Dramani Mahama.

My first encounter with John Mahama was in the 2008 campaign when he was a vice presidential candidate. Mawuko Zormelo was in charge of the media.

Those were fine moments for journalism. Therefore I don’t see how suddenly a senior media colleague who was free, open and would not even forget  the birthdays of his reporters could now be difficult to access because he is president.

I suspect there are barriers. Why am I saying this?

I am aware of a written request by the Press Corps to meet the President to voice out their concerns. I am reliably informed the request has not reached the President. I am told the Vice President has been copied. The writer of the article to which I am responding, Kwame Asare Boadu,  also said that “the president is yet to meet his media team since I started reporting from the Presidency.” It is strange how the same writer can paint such a perfect picture about the presidency when they cannot have access to the President to lay their grievances before him.

The recorder which Stan Dogbe reportedly destroyed

Additionally, the writer said, “it was important to note that even journalists in United States of America, which prides itself as the bastion of democracy and press freedom the press corps encounter difficulties undertaking their duties.” I beg to differ, senior.

I want to remind the writer that,  I have been to various US Departments of State  reporting tours and have had full access to information on how they run their media outfit at the presidency. In any civilized society ,it is an offence and it is reprehensible to assault and destroy the tools of a journalist and still be at post. This would not happen in the US without the White House reprimanding the Presidential staffer who did so.

Journalists in the United States have a different orientation. They do not accept free flights, free lunch, and free cars to cover the Presidency. They don’t accept money and car gifts or  anything else in the line of duty. Maybe this is what has compromised our Presidential reporters here.

My interactions with some US journalists reveal such postures are sound principles that are drummed into them from an early stage in their training.

But here in Ghana, governments  are responsible for the travels of journalists and their upkeep.

That aside, in Ghana under Mr. Dogbe, the media houses travel in turns. He decides, who goes on the next trip depending on the “loyalty” of the journalists’  to him. I would like to inform the writer that media organisations in the United States pay for the travel expenses of  reporters.

I found this out after wondering how the White House was going to pay for hotels for about 50 journalists or correspondents usually stationed at the Presidency with offices located in the West Wing.

If it is about shift-journalism, I think  the Communication head should concentrate on using GNA to feed the rest and throw the invitation to the accredited media houses if they could sponsor their reporters from their profits.

Appeal to the GJA

I  call on the National GJA President, Mr. Roland A. Monney, to as a matter of urgency, act to save the profession by investigating the numerous complaints about reporting from the Presidency. The GJA should also demand to know how much of  the taxpayer’s money is made available to the office of the communication head “for media” and why the shift-journalism.

The car gifts

Recently, some members of the Press corps were handed brand new Toyota Camry and Corolla vehicles, which were selectively and discriminately distributed.

It should be explained why the Toyota Corollas and Camrys were given to only reporters from the state owned broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and privately owned radio station, Radio Gold and what informed the giving out of such expensive gifts.

The GJA must also revisit the $1.5million that is said to have been used for hampers for the media. The GJA must take a bold step to tell media owners to invest in the news if they want it and take the burden of sponsoring journalists off the taxpayer. In this way, journalists can have the right to be independent and report from the presidency without having to please someone before they are granted permission on the next presidential assignment.

We must not allow our emotions, factions and quest to please people overrule our professional judgment as journalists to set a bad precedent. Wrong is wrong and right is right. I bet His Excellency John Dramani Mahama would love to know what’s up with the media working with him.

By Koblah Aklorbortu, Executive Member of GJA & Western Regional Chairman of GJA (Chairman I)