“If journalists cannot be trusted to guarantee confidentiality, then journalists cannot function, and there cannot be a free press'' - Judith Miller, US journalist! Ato Kwamina Dadzie, an acting news editor of Joy FM has come under fire for publishing a news item on his station. He is also being charged with the offense of publishing a news story “with intent to cause fear and alarm” after he refused to name the persons who had been threatened on July 6th 2010. The state would have been charging Ato Kwamena Dadzie with a criminal offence. It’s the same charge being faced by Nana Darkwa, who accused Rawlings of setting fire to his own house. The state has every right under the law to prosecute law breakers. However, beneath the edifice of Ato’s predicament is the hypocrisy of the Mills administration. I take offense to the government’s position on this issue. Why all this hypocrisy? When the Nana Darkwa issue came up, the government quickly came out and swiftly disassociated itself from the actions of the police so why is the government heavily involved in this case? What sort of hypocrisy is this? Why is the government interested in this particular case but not Nana Darkwa case? Can a threat be investigated if the complainant does not formally lodge a complaint with the police? Is it unreasonable to assume the complainants at GREDA are petrified and do not wish to talk to the police? Why is a story alleging GREDA members were threatened for voicing their reservations about the US$ 10 billion STX deal, the largest such deal in the history of Ghana, seem unbelievable? Why should a story claiming that GREDA members are receiving threats caused fear and panic? It is obvious JOY FM and Ato Kwamena Dadzie is being victimized. Are we to accept that the mere disclosure of a 'source' of a story makes the story true? Are we also to accept that, the Ghana police have a policy that states that once the source of a story is revealed then the story is true? Are we being told that there are no false “sources”? What sort of democracy are we building for future generations? I have lost whatever respect I have for President Mills. I expected a lot better from his presidency. Why all these blunders? Is he actually in charge? Isn’t it a shame that national resources would be spent on intimidating journalists? This is a fickle-minded and knee-jerk reaction of the police as well as the “string-pulling” of faceless, not-so-brave politicians who want to curtail press freedom. The action of the police is absolute gibberish and they must bow down their heads in remorseless shame! What kind of world do Ghanaians live in? Inasmuch as we may disagree with Ato Kwamena Dadzie and joy FM with their style of reporting, we cannot be seen to be endorsing this kind of tyranny on the excuse of “causing fear and alarm”. It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is intolerant to dissenting views. I really can't believe the "stupidity" of certain people in authority. This is not about the motives of Ato Kwamina Dadzie or anyone else. This is about press freedom and government interference. If indeed a law has been broken why the CID headquarters not the normal process of having someone charged at a local police station? This just goes to show the case is being handled at a very high level. What is the value of political pluralism if citizens cannot express their thoughts on national issues that affect their daily experiential? Where is freedom of speech when today’s rulers equate information dissemination with crime and hound media practitioners as their enemies? Why is it acceptable, for some government functionaries and ministers of state, to make reckless statement on air, yet see the scrutiny of their policies by journalists, as a taboo? Despite the façade of constitutional democracy, many Ghanaians are aware of backdoor attempts to criminalize speech in this political dispensation. Atta Mills is actually not in charge. Mills' governance patterns are worse of all and are blighted by his penchant for vindictiveness. He is so intolerant that he prefers putting up educated illiterates to defend his gross incompetence to fixing our deflationary economy. It really saddens me to know that despite our pretensions most of us just do not understand democracy in the least. Whether or not you agree with the views of Ato Kwamena Dadzie is irrelevant. There are many journalists with whom I do not and cannot agree. However, press freedom and democracy mean that anyone should be free to say what is on their mind. If a journalist makes a libelous statement he or she can be taken to task through the appropriate channels and not the politically motivated process currently taking place in Ghana. Journalists have to continue to report what they hear, and they should generally be able to do that without being intimidated into revealing their sources since as a society that is the only way in which sensitive matters come to light. All Ghanaians should see that they have a vested interest in this brouhaha, and should act to protect the right to keep “sources” identities secret. Ghanaians must let the government know that they won't tolerate any attempt to intimidate the media. Some of us knew that it will come to this. We had heard worst statements that could cause fear and panic, what did the police administration do about it. They should give us a break. From all indications, our nation democracy is failing. Our speech-democracy is manipulative. It extorts universal obedience with promises of gifts. It takes away human agency from the grassroots, and makes puppets out of elated party supporters. While we are told that we are all equal before the law, the Ghanaian criminal justice system does not hesitate to trample on people’s right base on archaic laws of “causing fear and alarm”. While the nation’s media has played a very useful role in building a workable democracy, it must continue to be seen as a credible partner. The media must also trade political subjectivity for objectivity, and restores society’s sight to see the brazen injustices in our democracy. Rather than allowing itself to become a profit-generating machine, the media must help to build a civil society that is committed to the greater good of our nation. The media must take to debating, and critiquing, policies that are central to national development and universal enlightenment. While some media houses may think that they are insulated from the bitter experiences of the public, their indifference to defending the truth will only encourage wrongdoers to benefit from their transgressions. We cannot move forward in the needed direction if we lack cardinal virtues such as discretion, temperance, fortitude, decency, tolerance and so forth. Ato Kwamena Dadzie and Joy FM must continue with their watchdog role and they must also reassert themselves as the ally of the people. This way our democracy will grow. We shall be back! Emmanuel Dela Coffie www.delacoffie.wordpress.com