Being the Head of Legal for Media General Ghana, the management company for two nationwide Television stations, 4 regional radio stations, a digital company and a content production company, I adopt a dynamic approach in addressing legal challenges in order to maintain my company’s business goals and ensure overall stability.  In high-profile cases involving allegations of defamation which in some instances have led to the arrest of our presenters/ journalists on charges of publication of false news, I proactively lead my team to review the content vis a-vis the law, engage external solicitors where necessary and take prudent steps to ensure the immediate release of our staff  in order to bring the operations of the business back to stability. I further collaborate with the corporate affairs team to remind the public of our commitment to responsible journalism whiles holding duty bearers accountable.

As the Head of Legal of the leading media house in Ghana, envisaging the probability of facing potential instability of our operations as a result of allegations of defamation and publication of false news during the coverage of the just ended 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, I led my team to prepare the various stakeholders ahead of the coverage of the elections. The preparations involved training presenters/journalists on the pertinent legal matters and setting up a team that will quickly act should any issues arise. These steps led to a successful coverage of the 2024 General Elections without any legal challenges.

As more consumers shift focus to accessing news and information through social media platforms in Ghana, media companies have also shifted their focus to the production of online content. The rise in the use of social media has led to the increase of misinformation, and challenges in verifying information which places a burden on media organizations to engage in more fact-checking mechanisms to ensure the accuracy of any published information. This highlights the importance of stricter regulatory measures.

Politically, the media, as the Fourth Estate, plays a vital role in ensuring accountability in governance by scrutinizing government actions, fighting corruption and advocating for equitable and just governance. This results in a rise in investigative journalism focused on corruption in the political space. Understanding the numerous challenges associated with investigative journalism such as safety risk, political backlash etc. my team and I have developed guidelines to ensure that such investigative works are carried out responsibly and avoiding legal risks.

I am interested in advocating for and promoting values that are grounded in diversity, equity and inclusion. Recently in my capacity as the Board Secretary, I worked with the team to amend the company’s HR policy in respect of maternity & paternity leave to align with best practice as opposed to what is prescribe in the Labour Laws of Ghana which is the minimum legal requirement.