World

Ghana: Journalists Association president rebuked for urging anti-gay slant in media

Jun 08 2013
Written by Corinne Pinfold

The president of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has come under fire for encouraging the media to take an anti-gay stance in their reports, says GhanaWeb.

GJA president Affail Monney said on Thursday: “The media do not have to take a posture of neutrality as far as right and wrong are concerned.”

He went on to argue that homosexuality is morally repugnant, culturally offensive, and legally unacceptable, and that this should be reflected in journalism.

His views were condemned by Professor Audrey Gadzekpo of the University of Ghana School of Communications. She said Mr Affail’s comments were “bizarre” and “wrong-footed”.

“I can think of 10 million things we should be doing than what people do in their bedroom”, she said, adding the GJA president should instead “look after the welfare of your people.”

Human rights lawyer Kenneth Attafuah also warned against Mr Monney’s stance, saying that to justify slandering someone because of their sexuality would require “cameras in bedrooms”.

Last year a Ghanaian newspaper claimed 82 percent of citizens ‘abhor homosexuality’ solely because they subscribe to religions whose leaders have spoken out against gay activity.

In Uganda, the tabloid ‘Red Pepper’ notoriously publishes lists of LGBT people in a bid to “name and shame” them, which has, in the past, resulted in attacked against named individuals.