Manasseh Azure Awuni, a journalist from Ghana, explains why it can be risky to stand up for or fight for colleagues who work for other media outlets when complaints about their subpar services arise.
His remarks follow those of broadcaster Bridget Otoo, who on Tuesday criticized Dr. Kwabena Duffour, owner of EIB Network, for failing to pay the monthly salaries of journalists. According to reports, some employees haven’t received payment in the previous nine months.
Bridget urged the station’s management to act morally rather than firing several employees who had protested not receiving their salaries. She urged Nana Aba Anamoah, her friend and general manager of GhOne TV, to stand up for her employees who have been
However, in response to the situation, Manasseh stated on July 5 in a Facebook post that protecting his coworkers can be “deadly,” especially if he doesn’t work for that media source.
“If you are a journalist, one thing you should be careful about is fighting for journalists in another media house. It’s “deadly”,” his post read.
The renowned female broadcaster responded by criticizing senior journalists for failing to confront station owners and managers about the bad working conditions for journalists. She once more warned her coworkers not to allow themselves to be “abused” just so they might remain in their jobs or appear on television.
“This is true. You can lose fake friends in the process.” The irony of a lot of media personalities is they are cowards deep down and would throw you under the bus! They demand of the politician the very thing they can’t even demand of their colleagues or management,” read Bridget’s tweet on July 6.