Court Ruling Against Journalist Sparks Media Freedom Concerns — WAES

The West Africa Editors Society (WAES) has expressed grave concern over a recent court ruling it says poses a serious threat to media freedom in Ghana.

In a statement issued after the decision, WAES criticised a ruling by Justice Nana Brew of Human Rights Court 2 in Accra against investigative journalist Innocent Samuel Appiah. Mr. Appiah was sued by a businesswoman after he initiated an inquiry into her business dealings.

According to WAES, the investigation examined issues surrounding the lady’s business registration, tax compliance, and access to government land—matters the editors’ body describes as being clearly in the public interest. However, the court ruled in favour of the business woman citing concerns over her right to privacy and suggesting that the journalist should have submitted his findings to state investigative agencies such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), rather than publishing them.

WAES said it is deeply disturbed by the ruling, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent that reduces journalists to informants for law enforcement agencies and discourages independent investigative reporting.

“Journalism is a public good, and journalists must be free to report on matters of public interest without fear of reprisal or intimidation through the courts,” the statement said.

The Interim President of WAES, Mr. Emmanuel K. Dogbevi—who is also Vice-President of the African Editors Forum (TAEF)—described the growing use of lawsuits to stifle media work as worrying. He noted that such practices undermine Ghana’s reputation as a leading multiparty democracy on the African continent.

“The growing trend of using frivolous lawsuits to stop media organisations and journalists from writing or publishing stories does not look good for a country like Ghana,” Mr. Dogbevi said. He urged journalists to remain steadfast in fulfilling their constitutional duty to expose wrongdoing, hold power to account, and inform the public.

The editors’ body has called on Ghana’s justice system to ensure that judicial decisions do not undermine press freedom, stressing that a free and independent media is essential to democratic governance. It warned that actions such as this ruling send the wrong signal and threaten journalists’ ability to report in the public interest.

 

 

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