The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has explained why he believes it would not be best for media practitioners to record court proceedings live.
He explained that during court proceedings, all manner of things happen that should not get into the public domain in order to avoid the public making prejudicial comments.
Speaking in an interview with TV3 , he said “Journalists are allowed into court to write proceedings. Recordings, in terms of voice recording and video have traditionally, not been allowed and I believe there is a reason why.
“If you go to the court, sometimes all manner of things can happen and and it is not everything that happens in the court that perhaps, should be put out there because those things, if they are out could be prejudicial, will get people to comment in divers ways about ongoing cases.
“I am not too sure whether that would help in judicial administration even as I think for the media, the deeper they get, the better it is for them and for all of us. But the judiciary has its own mechanism of dispensing justice. “
Mr Dame said “Reflecting on these unhealthy developments I have spoken about, My Lord Chief Justice, sometimes I really think the way to go is to permit more broadcasts of cases of immense national importance and not the election petition alone.
“When this is done, the poverty of legal reasoning behind certain cases dismissed by the Supreme Court and in respect of which the state emerges, the victor will be exposed for all to see,” he said.
“Spread of false information by lawyers, disregard for the cherished values of the legal profession and the promotion of instability and violence, apart from being disreputable, poses a far greater threat to cohesion in society if it comes from lawyers.
“Such conduct should result in promptly inflicted sanctions on the lawyers in question,” he was categorical.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana