Kofi Adams : Ghanaian Journalists Are A Bunch Of Illiterates

Spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams has launched a blistering attack on media practitioners in the country describing them as a bunch of illiterates. Adams said Ghanaian journalists were not only uneducated but also lazy group of people who do not want to cross check their facts before putting them in the public domain. The Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in charge of operations told Boss fm in Kumasi Friday that journalistic practice in the country was at an all-time low. This is because Ghanaian media practitioners are so unenlightened that they always seem to misinterpret people when they speak in public, he said. He noted that his biggest worry was that when a particular newspaper picks up a story, the rest of the newspapers and radio stations follow suit without doing due diligence. The NDC scribe made these remarks when he reacted to media reports that ex-President Rawlings had claimed in an interview with e-TV, a South African based TV station that he was the best president the country had ever had. Adams indicated that the former president did not make those remarks at any time during the one and a half hour interview. He said what Mr. Rawlings meant was that his leadership and governance style were a landmark achievement which could not be compared to any other in the nation�s history. He noted that the former President was not wrong in making this contention as it was during his administration that the spirit of communal labour was revived. The spokesperson also said during Rawlings� era, many were politically empowered to such an extent that governments were able to change hands peacefully. He expressed surprise at the twist the country�s media had given to these statements saying if the media were literate enough, such a development would not have occurred. �I wonder why there is so much illiteracy in the country�s media landscape to the extent that a simple message somebody has delivered can be twisted for public consumption?� Adams also took a swipe at former President Kufuor for indicating that his former colleague was being boastful in saying he was the nation�s best president. In his reaction to his predecessor�s statement, Mr. Kufuor had also said it was up to Ghanaians to rate Rawlings� leadership and not the other way round. But Mr. Adams claimed former President Kufuor had on several occasions sought to describe himself as Ghana�s best leader and expressed surprise at his reaction to his predecessor�s remarks. He emphasized that henceforth he would not spend time responding to questions from journalists regarding the Rawlings family.