Award-winning investigative journalist and Chief Editor of Media Without Borders, Edward Adeti, has called for urgent reforms to improve the safety and welfare of journalists in Ghana, warning that many media practitioners continue to face intimidation, economic hardship and abandonment within the profession.
Speaking on A1 Radio during discussions marking World Press Freedom Day 2026, Adeti reflected on the personal cost of investigative journalism, describing years of threats, court battles and isolation linked to his work exposing wrongdoing.
“Journalists are searching for freedom for society, but in doing so, many of us lose our own freedom,” he said.
Adeti recounted how sustained threats forced him into hiding at certain periods, often appearing in public wearing caps, dark glasses and nose masks to conceal his identity.
He said the pressure did not only come from powerful external actors, but sometimes from within the media fraternity itself.
“Some colleagues have been supportive, but others have been destructive,” he stated, alleging that some media practitioners sided with individuals and institutions accused in investigative reports instead of defending fellow journalists.
The investigative journalist also spoke about his legal struggles, including a defamation case he said he lost because he could not afford legal representation.
“I lost that case simply because I didn’t have a lawyer,” he disclosed.
According to him, journalist protection must go beyond condemnation of physical attacks and include deliberate efforts to improve economic conditions in the media industry.
“Freedom is not only freedom from physical assault. Journalists should also be free from economic harassment,” he stressed.
Adeti criticised poor remuneration and job insecurity within the media landscape, noting that many journalists in Ghana are either underpaid or not paid at all despite the critical role they play in promoting accountability and democracy.
He urged the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to intensify engagement with media owners on staff welfare rather than limiting its interventions to issuing statements after attacks on journalists.
“The GJA should move beyond statements. They should engage media owners directly about the welfare of journalists,” he said.
While acknowledging Ghana’s improved performance on the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, where the country ranked 39th globally and fourth in Africa, Adeti argued that media freedom rankings must also reflect the economic wellbeing of journalists.
“It is good for Ghana to rank high globally, but does that reflect in the lives of journalists? No,” he stated.
World Press Freedom Day is observed annually on May 3 to promote press freedom and assess threats facing journalists worldwide.
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