Ghana has improved on its media ranking, the World Press Freedom Index 2024 published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has revealed.
The report indicated that Ghana made a significant improvement by moving from the 62nd position in the 2023 ranking to the 50th position in the 2024 ranking, which covered 180 countries.
According to the report, regarded as one of Africa’s most democratic countries, Ghana had a vibrant and pluralistic media environment.
It noted that, however, the creation of media outlets by politicians had given rise to politicised and biased media content.
“Thanks to the 1992 Constitution authorising new media outlets to be created without a licence, Ghana has at least 100 media outlets, including radio stations, TV channels and news sites. Many privately owned media,” it stated.
“They have the independence necessary to operate without political restrictions. The state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, and its TV and radio stations, GBC TV and GBC Radio, have nationwide coverage.”
It reiterated that there were also numerous community radio stations throughout the country; however, measures taken by the authorities to promote media pluralism had favoured, in recent years, the emergence of partisan media outlets launched by politicians.
The report said journalists’ safety had seriously deteriorated in Ghana in recent years; stating that several attacks on press freedom had been registered, including the intrusion of ruling party supporters into a TV studio and an attack on a journalist during a live report in October 2023.