According to the latest World Press Freedom Index 2024 published by Reporters Without Borders, Ghana has experienced notable advancements in media freedom over the past year.
The West African nation has climbed from 62nd place in 2023 to 50th in the most recent update, marking a significant improvement.
This ranking places Ghana among the top 50 countries out of the 180 included in the study.
Reporters Without Borders acknowledged that Ghana has a vibrant and pluralistic media environment.
This includes aspects such as the media landscape, legal framework, political situation, economy, safety, and sociocultural context.
This finding is based on the fact that, of the five indicators used to compile the ranking, it is the political indicator that has fallen the most, registering a global average fall of 7.6 points.
The research conducted by Reporters Without Borders singled out media platforms such as “the Joy News channel, the Myjoyonline website and radio Peace FM” as “very popular and reflect a high degree of pluralism and diversity.”
In the political context, however, the report recounted an incident where some members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) forcefully invaded the studios of UTV in Accra.
“Nonetheless, the ruling party wrote to the Despite Media Group, which runs the privately owned United TV channel, in October 2023 requesting the inclusion of one of its members in the TV channel’s broadcasts in order, it said, to ensure balance. “
Globally, the findings show that a growing number of political authorities are not doing their best to ensure a conducive environment for journalism and the public’s right to unbiased news and information.
RSF editorial director, Anne Bocandé explained “As more than half the world’s population goes to the polls in 2024, RSF is warning of a worrying trend revealed by the 2024 World Press Freedom Index: a decline in the political indicator, one of five indicators detailed in the Index. States and other political forces are playing a decreasing role in protecting press freedom.”
“This disempowerment sometimes goes hand in hand with more hostile actions that undermine the role of journalists, or even instrumentalise the media through campaigns of harassment or disinformation.”
Source: myjoyonline.com