The Media Too Owes Citizens — and Must Be Held Accountable
“Press Freedom is not Press Immunity”
Dear Nyaaba,
I believe I have, in the past, endeavoured to explain to you how we your descendants, have arranged our matters. How we have a big Chief, a council of elected lawmakers, a collection of adjudicators of the right and wrong and the nebulous collective of people whose main job is purveying information. That last group, the media, is the subject of my write-up today. They have come up for mention because, like adolescents, they are supremely aware of their rights and remarkably uninterested in their responsibilities, or so it appears.
In every functioning democracy, the media is often touted as the “fourth estate,” a vital pillar of civic life, entrusted with the sacred responsibility of informing the public, holding power to account, and safeguarding truth. But what happens when this pillar cracks under the weight of bias, sensationalism, and self-interest? What happens when those who claim to expose wrongdoing themselves become complicit in it?
Let this be said plainly: the media too owes citizens — and it must be held accountable. Strenuously. Unflinchingly. Relentlessly.
Too often, the media cloaks itself in the veil of immunity, asserting its freedom while abandoning its duty. It amplifies gossip as news, outrage as truth, and clickbait as journalism. It chases ratings and revenue while abandoning nuance, context, and even facts. And yet, when called out, it retreats behind the shield of press freedom, weaponizing its role as watchdog to deflect scrutiny of its own ethical failures.
This must end
Press freedom is not press immunity. With great influence comes great responsibility — not just to report, but to report honestly, fairly, and thoroughly. The public is not a market to be exploited, nor a herd to be swayed. Citizens are not mere consumers of media — they are its rightful judges. And they have every right to demand accuracy, integrity, and transparency from those who claim to speak truth to power.
We have witnessed too many distortions, too many unchecked narratives, and too much eagerness to be first rather than to be right. Lives have been ruined, reputations shattered, social harmony jeopardized — not by facts, but by the reckless abandon with which some in the media wield the tools of their trade.
Accountability is not a threat to the press — it is its lifeblood. Without it, journalism decays into propaganda, or worse, entertainment masquerading as news. The media must submit itself to the same standards it demands from politicians, corporations, and institutions. Internal audits, ombudsmen, public corrections, transparent editorial policies — these are not optional luxuries. They are imperatives.
Let no one be mistaken: the call for media accountability is not an attack on press freedom. It is its preservation. Because if the media loses the trust of the public, it loses everything.
So yes, the media too owes us — truth, diligence, restraint, and responsibility. And where it fails, it must be confronted not with apathy, but with scrutiny. Not with leniency, but with firmness.
The time for excuses is over. The time for accountability is now.
Respectfully yours,
Kasise Ricky Peprah
(The Honourrebel Siriguboy)
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