The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has urged Ghanaian journalists to hold power to account while resisting the spread of misinformation and hate speech, as the media fraternity gathered to mark the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards. Speaking at The Palms Convention Centre, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, he said the media remains an indispensable safeguard of the country’s democracy.
Describing power as “a monster that must be properly managed,” Mr. Bagbin commended journalists for investigations into galamsey, corruption, human rights abuses and child abuse in schools. He cautioned, however, that the power to inform must never become the power to misinform, and that the freedom to criticise is no licence to destroy reputations through falsehood. Quoting American journalist Amy Goodman, he told the media to be “watchdogs and not lapdogs.”
The Speaker also expressed concern about the digital age, in which every smartphone user is a potential broadcaster. He warned that social media anonymity and unverified commentary were being weaponised to stoke ethnic tensions, polarise communities and abuse public figures, calling this “a direct assault on the peace, stability and mutual respect” that hold the nation together. The Ghanaian media, he said, therefore carries a heavier responsibility to filter out hatred and provide citizens with verified facts.
On the relationship between Parliament and the press, Mr. Bagbin assured journalists that “the House is your house” and that its doors remain open to facilitate access to information and professional coverage. He urged reporters to move beyond sensational political exchanges to explain the substance of legislation and the impact of public policy on ordinary Ghanaians. He also reiterated Parliament’s readiness to work with the GJA and other stakeholders on a Private Member’s Bill to improve journalists’ working conditions, while stressing that law enforcement agencies, political actors, media owners, traditional authorities and citizens all share responsibility for protecting journalists.
Congratulating the nominees and winners, the Speaker called on them to keep “the torch of professional integrity high” and to help prevent Ghana from sliding into a place where the line between truth and falsehood disappears. He also commended the GJA, led by its President, Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, for sustaining the awards tradition and for its advocacy on the safety, welfare and professional development of journalists. The event was attended by President John Dramani Mahama, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is Patron of the Awards, the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, and Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
