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He described their mode of journalism as crass
He made these pronouncements on his show, Good Evening Ghana
Paul Adom-Otchere, the host of ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme on Metro TV, has again attacked Sulemana Braimah and Manasseh Azure Awuni on his show indicating that what they practice is not journalism.
According to him, the duo are hiding behind the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) which was set up by Prof Kwame Karikari to operate an online news portal dubbed ‘The Fourth Estate’ in other to be publishing crass about some respected men of God.
He said, the work that Prof Karikari has done with the MFWA is being dissipated by the activities of Sulemana Braimah.
“Sulemana Braimah is dissipating Kwame Karikari’s work. Sulemana Braimah has personalized the thing, he is dissipating it; Sulemana Braimah is lowing the standards of MFWA; Sulemana Braimah has crass journalism ideas, it must stop so that the young people can learn,” Adom-Otchere said on Thursday’s edition of his show.
Paul Adom-Otchere was reviewing the defamation suit file in the High Court by the Lighthouse Chapel over some publication by ‘The Fourth Estate’ about non-payment of SSNIT contributions of some pastors of Lighthouse Chapel.
As part of his analysis, Adom-Otchere indicated that, the activities of Sulemana Braimah, Manasseh Azure Awuni and the Fourth Estate has damaged the reputation of Lighthouse Chapel and its founder Bishop Dag Heward-Mills.
“I cry for Manasseh Azure Awuni if he loses this case. Sulemana Braimah if you lose this case, you will learn a lesson that the work that you have come to join, the reputation that people have built, you don’t just jump into it and gossip round trees, go to Domelevo and gossip; today is your last day…the gossip is over…that’s the journalism they do; today you will see,” he said.
“Fourth Estate is such an important nice name and I was excited when a newspaper called itself Fourth Estate but if you want to call yourself Fourth Estate, you immediately impose a burden on yourself to do quality work. You don’t call yourself ‘The Fourth Estate’ and do this kind of decrepit work.
“This work is not about just talking ooo; you need to do the work and if you do the work, people will see the work. It’s not just talking, you have to learn, read, analyse; you don’t just come and say I’m a journalist and you have some bag, with a hidden camera and go about saying I’m a journalist; no, no, no. You have to think!” he stressed.
Paul Adom-Otchere further stated that, people like Manasseh Azure Awuni cried for the Right to Information Act and when it was passed, they are refusing to use it to enhance their work.
“These are the people who pushed the ‘Freedom of Information Act’, Manasseh Azure, they pushed it, they don’t even know how to use it. They were shouting bring freedom of information Act, bring freedom of information Act, they don’t know how to use it. In fact, they don’t intend to use it, they just want to talk. You people said you want freedom of information Act, freedom of information Act has come, SSNIT is a public organisation, you cand use the freedom of information Act gets information from SSNIT to make your stories sacrosanct, no you don’t because of hatred…” he stated.
The board chairman of the Ghana Airports Company (GAC) then sent a verbal petition to the Bishop of Lighthouse Chapel and its lawyers to temper justice with mercy when the owners and editors of The Fourth Estate “come off their high horse and say we were wrong, please in the spirit of Christianity, let sleeping dogs lie.”
