Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is urging Media General Management to summon Blessed Godsbrain Smart, also known as Captain Smart in the media industry, to professional order so that the positive image of the media institution is not tarnished.
According to the GJA, while freedom of expression is an inalienable right that the Association will continue to advocate for, exercising that right recklessly is unconscionable and will not be tolerated.
As a result, the media Association is demanding an unequivocal apology from Captain Smart for making derogatory remarks about female television sports presenters, accusing them of warming footballers’ beds.
Captain Smart claimed on his morning show on Accra-based Onua FM/TV and social media platforms that female television sports presenters were “chopping” players from Ghana’s senior national football team, the Black Stars, which, he claimed, harmed the team’s performance at the World Cup in Qatar.
He went on to call on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to “stop all-female TV presenters from following the Black Stars,” relying heavily on such wild and scandalous allegations.
Although Captain Smart made specific reference to female television sports presenters, the GJA believes the gamut of his comments, and extrapolation from them is a severe, unwarranted attack on the morality, dignity, and integrity of not only his subjects of reference but also female journalists in general.
“In fact, we find Captain Smart’s comments to be extremely sexist, utterly unprofessional, grossly repugnant, highly repugnant, and extremely offensive to ethical and professional standards.”
“A journalist recognizes the public’s right to fair, unbiased, accurate, balanced, and comprehensive information,” according to Article 6 of the GJA Code of Ethics 2017.
Furthermore, Article 2(a) of the National Media Commission (NMC) Broadcasting Guidelines states that “Information given in any program should be presented accurately, honestly, and impartially,”.
While Article 5(c) states that “Statements or information that could be ambiguous or misleading should be avoided,” as stated by Kofi Yeboah, General Secretary of the Association.
The GJA praised female journalists’ professional integrity and hard work, saying, “We are proud to celebrate female journalists like Portia Gabor and Juliet Bawuah, both of TV3, in the stable of Media General, who won the Journalist of the Year and Best Sports Journalist awards, respectively, at this year’s GJA Media Awards.”
It served notice that no amount of disparaging remarks, even from within the Media General stable, will diminish its admiration for and celebration of its outstanding female journalists.
“A few weeks ago, we had reason to condemn the crude manner in which National Investigation Bureau operatives arrested Captain Smart in public, but today, we have good reason to publicly denounce him for the crude manner in which he attacked the dignity and integrity of female journalists,” the statement said.
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