A growing sense of unease is sweeping through the Public Relations Department within the Ministries and State owned Enterprises (SOEs) over discrimination against media houses and newspapers linked to the NDC Party.
Instances of discrimination was at its apex (crescendo) during the erstwhile Akufo Addo/Bawumia government where these PROs, most of whom were politically exposed discriminated against the pro-NDC media houses.
According to sources, the pro-NDC media houses were denied invitations to programmes and advert in an attempt to stifle them of liquidity and collapse them in the process, contrary to International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)’s laws which guarantees media freedom and access to information.
These PROs, the source maintains, selectively chose which media outlets to engage with, often favoring the NPP aligned media houses, a situation that results in certain media houses being excluded from press conferences, interviews, and other opportunities.
“As if that was not enough, for the first time under the 4th republic, these biased NPP PROs created “ the press corps” made up of ONLY Journalists sympathetic to the then NPP government, to the extent that when a Journalist gets wind of the programme and you call the PROs, they tell you you dont belong to the press corps”, the source said.
A PRO from one of the ministeries out of pressure told this portal that the director of her ministry gave her list of the media houses they should invite based of which budget would be made.
This issue of Press corps within the Ministries and SOEs orchestrated by the current PROs and their assigns have been a stumbling block to many neutral Journalists whose interest only is access to information and dissemination.
Media professionals and advocacy groups have condemned the discriminatory behavior of such PROs calling for greater transparency and inclusivity in PRO-media relations as such behaviour smacks of anti-Press freedom.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself the “Press Corps Network” has called for the overhaul of PROs at Ministries and SOEs and dissolution of the biased press corps formed by the current PROs at the aforementioned institutions.
A statement issued by its Co-ordinator Komla Logose on Tuesday February 11, 2025 said “we are appalled by the fact that these NPP biased PROs are still at post continuing wit their discriminatory posture”.
As though there is no new government in place. This impunity must stop”, the statement added.
The Press Corps Network also hinted of a possible sabotage by these NPP apologists acting as PROs and called on government to terminate the appointment of politically exposed ones and transfer the rest back to the Information Service Department.
The group recounted how their members who were professional with their work were transferred from Accra to remote areas with others forced to resign when NPP took over power. “What is good for the goose is good for the gander”, the statement concluded.
Political and development analysts have also waded into the fray warning that if these individuals are not removed, they will continue to manipulate narratives, distort government messaging, and weaken the administration’s credibility.
Ministers and appointees are being urged to immediately restructure their public relations teams across all government institutions, to prevent opposition-aligned officials from using their positions to undermine the government’s communication strategy.
If left unchecked, these NPP-aligned PROs could sabotage the NDC government’s ability to inform the public, shape public perception, and effectively govern the country.
Source: Nationaltyme.com
