The Ghana Journalists Association, GJA has disclosed that it is unaware of the identities of some 50 Ghanaians purporting to be journalists who have been deported ahead of the Common Wealth Games in Australia.
President of the GJA, Dr. Affail Monney in a statement put on record that the "GJA does not know the identity of the so-called journalists or their mission in Australia."
According to the GJA, the reports of the deportation of the 'journalists' has the tendency to soil the image of Ghanaian journalists and as such should be thoroughly investigated by the police and other relevant institutions to establish the true identities of the individuals.
Over 50 Ghanaians who traveled to Australia for the upcoming Commonwealth games which starts Wednesday, April 4, 2018 have been deported.
Australian Authorities have explained they are not convinced by the reasons given by the Ghanaians who claim to be journalists.
According to them, even though the deportees had genuine visas, many didn’t carry equipment like recorders and recommended mobile phones for media coverage, hence raising suspicion.
Read GJA's full statement below:
GJA Distances itself from deported “Journalistsâ€
It has come to the notice of the National Executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) that about 50 people purporting to be Ghanaian journalists are being deported from Australia ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin in that country today, April 4, 2018.
According to reports, the Australian authorities were not convinced about the mission of the purported journalists in that country because although they claimed to be journalists and had genuine visas, many of them did not carry the recommended equipment for the coverage of such a sporting event.
The GJA wishes to put on record that it does not know the identity of the so-called journalists; neither is it aware of their mission in Australia. Although Ghanaian journalists travelling outside the country for official events are not obliged to inform the GJA about their assignments, it is quite strange that the GJA is not aware of the identity of the deportees, including the media institutions they claim to represent.
The GJA notes that the deportation of the alleged journalists from Australia has the tendency to soil the image of Ghanaian journalists in particular and Ghana as a whole. For that reason, we call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the police and other relevant institutions to thoroughly investigate the matter in order to establish the true identity of the deportees for the purposes of redeeming the image of Ghana and Ghanaian journalists.
The GJA wishes to take this opportunity to advise Ghanaian journalists travelling outside the country for official assignments to follow the requisite protocols of their host countries and the event organisers in order to avoid embarrassment. Furthermore, they may seek the assistance of the GJA to facilitate their assignments.
Affail Monney