Manasseh Azure Awuni, one time Best Journalist and a popular figure in the Ghanaian media landscape has many strengths as a journalist but unfortunately, he is losing it as a reliable truth teller in my eyes. I am not saying he has stopped telling the truth but rather that, whenever he tells some supposed truth, I (as Abdul) will not regard it as reliable until further validated.
Why is he no more reliable?
Well, in his recent articles, he made some revelations that have caught my attention.
For instance, in the article "Rebecca Akufo-Addo’s 'strategic mistakes'”, he wrote this:
" ... Someone told me you don’t want to be flown around with state aircraft or helicopters. I’m told when you went to Kumasi to cut the sod for this project, you went with Africa World Airlines and came back by road. That’s bad. See, this is your time o."
and this
"Your husband is also one year into office and I have put my ears on the ground, but I am yet to hear that you are running things, assigning roles and contracts. ..."
Again, in the article "Yesterday’s jog on the tarmac, today’s walk in London", he wrote the following:
"I had kept in touch with someone close to the second family and anytime I asked, the response was, “Oh he is doing very well.” On Friday night, however, I was alarmed. A journalist I trust so much said credible information from a top member of the NPP said Dr. Bawumia had been paralysed. I almost believed him until Dr. Bawumia’s video and photos came up. For me it was timely and helpful."
and
"... Not long after the swearing in of President Akufo-Addo, I became alarmed at the number of official events he was attending each week, from Monday to Sunday. I remember once telling Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko to tell the President’s handlers to slow down because it could be detrimental to his health, especially at his age. There is a lot of mental and emotional fatigue with such jobs and adding physical stress to it could be deadly."
The above statements betray Manasseh as:
1. A gossip/rumour lover and believer
If you read the statements again, you'll come to the realization that, one of our respected Journalists is someone who loves and believes in gossip. This is a bad trait to have as an ivestigative journalist as it has the power to affect how an investigation is carried out.
See how he nearly believed our Vice President was paralysed if not for the videos and pictures that got released?
See how he puts his ears to the ground to hear stuff?
See how he is quick to spread whatever he picks on the ground without verifying if true?
The current Pope once said journalism based on gossip or rumors is a form of terrorism.
2. Someone who can be used or manipulated
I have pointed out how Manasseh loves and spreads gossip, let me add that this trait of his can be used for political mischief.
In the above statements, we know Manasseh is close to such people as Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, someone a section of the political divide describe as the 'real man in charge'. With his weakness for gossip, if Gabby should deliberately pass on some information as the truth, Manasseh is likely to believe it and run to town with it.
If Manasseh had the habit of separating rumours from truth, he wouldn't have written this "Someone told me you don’t want to be flown around with state aircraft or helicopters".
In a political society like ours where politicians are looking to appear better than their opponents, many things will be said but those things need to pass through some verification or checks to ascertain their truth.
If Manasseh had done his checks, he would have said this rather "Someone told me (and I have confirmed that) you don’t want to be flown around with state aircraft or helicopters."
3. Someone who is looking to appear friendly with the current administration
I might be wrong with this but my small psychology borrowed from my wife tells me, one of our top Journalists is looking to be friends with the current administration.
There are so many reasons why he may want this; he feels responsible for getting the former administration out so he doesn't want this administration to fail because indirectly he is also responsible for bringing it in power, the people he socializes with are top members in the current government so he doesn't want the awkwardness that comes with being true to his journalism and being true to his friends and so on.
If this is true, it's not necessarily a bad thing but it has the potential to water down his professionalism. And one of the evidences of a watered down professional writing is to portray gossip as fact.
How can Manasseh say "... I have put my ears on the ground, but I am yet to hear that you are running things, assigning roles and contracts." or say "... Someone told me you don’t want to be flown around with state aircraft or helicopters." and smartly imply a better difference.
What if he was yet to hear anything because he was putting his ears to the wrong ground or that whatever he was willing to hear has been well concealed?
I have stated my reasons why I will no more consider Manasseh Azure Awuni as a reliable truth teller. I expect an investigative journalist to do more with gossip than quickly pass it on.
Whenever I read something from him, I am not going to disregard it and at the same time, I am not going to regard it, I'll keep it in a 'yet-to-be-true' state until further verified.
