Ghanaian actress and activist, Lydia Forson, has criticised sections of the local media for what she described as “insensitive” and “exploitative” coverage of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) helicopter crash that claimed eight lives on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
The military Z-9 helicopter, which took off from Accra at 9:12 a.m., crashed near Sikaman in the Adansi Akrofuom area of the Ashanti Region.
Among the victims were Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Member of Parliament Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, and six others.
In the hours following the tragedy, disturbing images and videos of the wreckage — including charred human remains — circulated widely on social media and news platforms.
This has prompted widespread debate about the ethics of such reporting.
Lydia Forson took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice her disapproval, writing:
“I genuinely despise the gory spectacle we make out of death. The rush to post graphic images, shove cameras in grieving faces, and ‘break’ the news as if it’s some twisted competition for clicks; it’s disgusting.”
Her remarks have resonated with many Ghanaians who believe that the privacy and dignity of victims and their families should be prioritised over the race for online engagement.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. Still, the conversation surrounding media ethics in times of tragedy is once again in the national spotlight.
