SECTOR 4 4.6 Journalists and editors do not practise self-censorship in in the private broadcasting and print media. Self-censorship takes place in both private and public media houses, and at different levels within those media houses. It occurs due to various factors; due to fear, to carry favour with the elite, or due to corruption. To highlight this, a report on the presidential committee on Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution convened by former Ghanaian President John Marami Mahama3 was not publicised to the extent that it should have, in order to appease those in power. “They sit on information they know should be available in [to] the public, and this may not be because of fear, to carry favour, or even for corrupt reasons; but will do it to protect parliament and to stay on good terms with it.” Media houses also self-censor for financial reasons. “It does happen that stories affecting a big advertiser might not be given prominence, or may be shelved altogether, due to fear of losing advertising.” In fact, there have been instances where major advertisers have withdrawn advertising expenditure due to unflattering reporting. Recently, a major company, Melcom, withdrew advertising from media houses that reported the collapse of one of its buildings which led to the death and injury of some people. “Sometimes, the marketing staff will give you a call, and in a very amiable way, try to ask you to be more lax about presenting a story.” It was also noted that in some media houses, editors will have a sense of how certain journalists will cover a story and will assign a story on that basis; to some extent controlling what might or might not come out of the story. “You can look at censorship in different ways, and at the basic level, who is chosen to cover an assignment may have some level of self-censorship.” “Each paper has its own editorial policy […] when recruited, won’t cover certain issues […] e.g. religious issues, chieftaincy and land disputes […]so know which areas not to touch on.” (The Daily Dispatch) Journalists may also suffer the consequences of refusing to self-censor. “One of my students at Metro TV was suspended for a month because she refused to drop a story about latex foam.” Self-censoring ends up being an injustice to the broader public, who the media are supposed to serve by informing and educating. For the journalist, having a piece altered or shelved by his or her editors “can be very painful, especially when you’ve spent a lot of time on a story. I wrote a story once on girls being 3 68 Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, in accordance with Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution, appointed a five-member Presidential Committee to determine the salaries of Article 71 Office Holders. The Committee’s report proposed an annual increase of 10% from 2013 to 2017 for the political class listed under Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2017