{"id":91835,"date":"2025-08-28T19:06:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=91835"},"modified":"2025-08-28T19:06:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:06:40","slug":"a-free-press-cannot-exist-where-women-journalists-are-unsafe-gba-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=91835","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A free press cannot exist where women journalists are unsafe\u2019 \u2013 GBA President"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 22 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey, has urged greater protection and inclusion of women in journalism, stressing that any media space where female reporters face insecurity or misrepresentation cannot truly be considered democratic or fair.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the inaugural <em>HerPress Summit<\/em>, she made a direct legal and moral case for safeguarding women in the media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA free press cannot exist where women are unsafe. Protecting women journalists is not optional. It is a test of whether our media and our democracy truly serve justice,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n<p>Efua Ghartey cautioned that unchecked online abuse and physical intimidation erode the press\u2019s ability to hold power to account and distort the public record. <\/p>\n<p>She urged media houses, regulators, and security agencies to fully deploy existing laws and mechanisms to protect journalists.<\/p>\n<p>Citing provisions in Ghana\u2019s constitution as well as data and cyber security laws, she stressed that freedom of expression must be balanced with safeguards against privacy violations and harassment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-2048x1365.jpg\" alt=\"\u2018A free press cannot exist where women journalists are unsafe\u2019 \u2013 GBA President\" class=\"wp-image-10032837045\" title=\"\u2018A free press cannot exist where women journalists are unsafe\u2019 \u2013 GBA President\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-210x140.jpg 210w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-218x145.jpg 218w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-330x220.jpg 330w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-225x150.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-217x145.jpg 217w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-340x227.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-11-55x37.jpg 55w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She also reminded journalists of their ethical duty to avoid sensationalism and preserve human dignity when covering traumatic events, pointing to recent local coverage of a helicopter accident as an example of harmful reporting practices.<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the unique power of imagery to shape public memory and political imagination, Ghartey noted that photographs and visual storytelling, when used responsibly, can inspire leadership and reshape societal norms.<\/p>\n<p>The GBA president concluded her address by urging newsrooms to make journalist safety a non-negotiable priority and to ensure that women are not only present but leading in the media spaces that will shape Ghana\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-2\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sad.svg\" alt=\"Sad\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sad                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-3\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/excited.svg\" alt=\"Excited\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Excited                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-6\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sleepy.svg\" alt=\"Sleepy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sleepy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-4\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/angry.svg\" alt=\"Angry\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Angry<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-5\" post-id=\"91835\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/surprise.svg\" alt=\"Surprise\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HerPress-Summit_20250823_Photo_Edited_-43-scaled-1-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\u2018A free press cannot exist where women journalists are unsafe\u2019 \u2013 GBA President\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u2018A free press cannot exist where women journalists are unsafe\u2019 \u2013 GBA President\">President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey, has urged greater protection and inclusion of women in journalism, stressing that any media space where female reporters face insecurity or misrepresentation cannot truly be considered democratic or fair.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5788,7510,7098,7511,2006,1883,117,10,9,7512],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comp-news","category-efua-ghartey","category-ghana-bar-association-gba","category-herpress-summit","category-hp-news-7","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-women-in-journalism"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}