Private legal practitioner Mr. Kofi Bekai has advised the media to sharpen their skills in court reporting in order not to misrepresent the courts in their reportage since that could amount to contempt of court.
The lawyer expressed worry in some media reportage of the Akwatia MP’s court saga, which is currently before the Supreme Court.
Some media houses had reported that the Supreme Court refused to give a hearing to Ernest Kumi, the Akwatia MP, when he appeared before the five-member panel on grounds that he had disrespected the Koforidua High Court.
It was later revealed that the Supreme Court had ordered the Koforidua High Court not to sentence the MP after citing him for contempt.
According to a 4-1 majority decision, the High Court cannot sentence the MP until his application before the Supreme Court is heard.
The lawyer responding to this expressed concern about how some journalists report from our courts, emphasising the importance of the media reporting accurately from our courts without omission or addition of facts.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Kofi Bekai stated that it would be an unfortunate practice for any journalist or journalists to misrepresent the facts before a court, emphasising the importance of media houses investing in training their journalists to always report accurately from our courts in order to avoid being cited for contempt.
‘’Sometimes, the way the reportage is done is problematic. I have consistently told my lawyers that the law language is not the English language, and so when I ask you to review something for me, you don’t review the English language but review the content as far as the law is concerned. The way we write the law is like the King James Bible. The law is not English, and so if you are a journalist and you want to use your English to interpret what the court said, it would violate what the court said. The best you can do is to wait and seek clarity from the Clerk of Court because some words may be used in court that you lack an understanding of, so seek an audience with the Clerk of the Courts before your report.
If you report anything that misrepresents the court, you could be cited for contempt, so to avoid this, you have to seek an audience with the clerks so you are given accurate information for your reports. You should not report on matters that misrepresent the facts. Always seek clarity.”
He advised journalists to be constructive in their court reports rather than disjointed.”Be constructive and fluent in your reportage, and avoid a disjointed report. When you put words together anyhow, it becomes somewhat problematic. I will encourage the media to invest in high-quality reporter training. That’s how it should be done. If you are a journalist and have an interest in the area and want to report on it, seek training in that area to improve your skills and knowledge so you can report with clarity and accuracy”.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
