PRINPAG Calls For Equitable Distribution Of State Adverts To Media Houses

President of the Private Newspapers Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), Andrew Edwin Arthur, has called on the government to consider a policy that would equitably distribute state-sponsored adverts to all media houses in the country.

He made the call at the official launch of a four-day capacity building program for the media at the Manhyia Palace IN Kumasi ON Monday, January 10, 2022.

“I urge that the government, through the Ministry of Information, should consider coming up with a media policy for the equitable distribution of state-sponsored adverts among all media representatives irrespective of the perceived political discrimination,” Lawyer Andrew Arthur said.

He explains his call is because, “…adverts constitute a lifeline for media houses.”

The PRINPAG President’s call which was made in the presence of Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, GJA President Affail Monney and the Asantehene, Otumfuorn Osei Tutu ll, comes in the wake of the worsening conditions of journalists in the country and the perceived discrimination by the Akufo-Addo government in the distribution of adverts.

The government has been accused of only stuffing pro-NPP media houses with adverts to the neglect of other media houses.

Reference is especially made to how the government discriminated in the distribution of COVID-19 adverts, by furnishing only pro-NPP and state media with billions of Ghana cedis worth of these adverts.

According to Andrew Arthur, such discriminatory distribution of adverts is ultimately detrimental to other media houses.

Coupled with the discriminatory distribution of adverts, the government has also come under criticism for being brutally suppressive to other media organisations not tied to the government’s aprons.

This brutal regime includes the unsolved murder of the investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale, who was investigating a serious corruption case at the Jubilee House.

Also, the arrests and alleged torture of journalists, including Whatsup News’ Editor-in-Chief, David Tamakloe, Citi FM’s Caleb Kudah, ModernGhana online’s Ajafour Abugre and the harassment of Onua FM’s Captain Smart by National Security has not helped the image of the government.