High Court injunction of investigative journalist a bad precedent-PRINPAG

The Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) has sharply criticized a recent High Court decision, which it says poses a serious threat to press freedom and investigative journalism.

In a statement signed by its president, David Sitsope Tamakloe, PRINPAG expressed “profound concern and disappointment” over a ruling by Justice Nana Brew of the Human Rights Court 2, which granted an interlocutory injunction restraining investigative journalist Innocent Samuel Appiah from publishing findings of an ongoing corruption probe involving businesswoman Cynthia Adjei and Lysaro Group.

The injunction was granted before any story had been published, a move PRINPAG described as a form of prior restraint that could weaken the media’s constitutional role as the “Fourth Estate” in Ghana’s democracy.

PRINPAG also took issue with portions of the ruling suggesting journalists should route their work through state investigative bodies such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) rather than publishing independently.

“The media is not an extension of state institutions. Its responsibility is to pursue the truth in the public interest,” the statement said, stressing that the press has its own constitutionally protected mandate, separate from law enforcement.

The association further criticised what it sees as a growing view that private companies or individuals with links to public power or state contracts are somehow insulated from journalistic scrutiny because they are “private”.

“Ghana’s democracy cannot thrive where individuals who benefit from proximity to public office are beyond public accountability,” PRINPAG warned.

While reiterating its respect for the courts and due process, the group cautioned that the ruling could encourage public officials and politically connected business interests to use litigation as a tool to frustrate media oversight, undermining transparency and the fight against corruption.

PRINPAG has urged Mr Appiah to appeal the decision and pledged legal and institutional support, saying its intervention is about more than one reporter.

“This goes to the heart of the public’s right to know,” the association noted, adding that investigative journalism is a public service rather than an adversarial act.

The group said it is engaging media and governance stakeholders on mechanisms to independently verify and further investigate issues of significant public interest arising from the case.

It also called on the Judicial Service to reflect on the wider implications of rulings that appear to constrain press freedom.