–By Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri, the writer is a Ghanaian-British author/journalist and a Human Rights Lawyer based mostly within the UK.

Ghanaian newspaper The Herald carried out a hatchet job on an unconcerned non-public citizen in good standing that was so disgusting it must be referred to as out because the shame to journalism that it’s.

Rashida Saani, the person in query, was baselessly accused by the newspaper – with no supporting info or correctly sourced data apart from rumour, innuendo, and almost certainly unhealthy religion data from one Sylvia Baah-of partaking within the kidnapping of the latter, who’s the Airport Companies Supervisor for Emirates Airways at Kotoka Worldwide Airport.

Such a robust and probably libelous accusation bears a heavy burden of proof based mostly on the ethics of the journalistic occupation, which The Herald as a newspaper is obligated to observe. The Herald offered no such proof apart from their very own assumptions based mostly on an incident that to them proves their conclusion, though it does nothing of the type.

The Accusation:

In an article, titled “Nationwide Safety & NIB Operatives kidnapped Emirates supervisor”, The Herald managed to flout practically all of the ethics and rules of journalism with out batting an eyelid.

The title of the publication itself is already an enormous purple flag, stating as a matter of truth an enormous allegation that has not been confirmed by a court docket of regulation nor hinted at by sources in regulation enforcement or anybody in an authoritative place to definitively make such an evaluation. Primarily based on the flimsy proof they provided to again up their accusation, one wouldn’t be remiss in considering they simply spoke to Madam Sylvia Baah, took her story hook, line, and sinker, and printed it as truth.

The article solely will get worse from there. It goes on to weave a fantastic story based mostly on flimsy info, innuendo, assumptions, and maybe some nefarious motives to allege that some two extremely ranked safety officers who have been prevented from boarding an Emirates Airline flight on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, in addition to a non-public citizen of their firm, Rashida Saani-orchestrated a kidnapping plot of Sylvia Baah, Emirate Airways’ Airport Companies Supervisor at Kotoka Worldwide Airport.

What Really Occurred?

In response to our sources with first-hand information, Rashida Saani who was to journey on an Emirates Airline flight from Accra to Dubai heard her identify being talked about on the general public handle system a number of occasions at Kotoka Worldwide Airport regardless of the actual fact it was not time to board.

When Rashida managed to get to the boarding gate, she was instructed boarding had closed when the time for the closure was not due. Rashida, as each affordable passenger could be, was pissed off over the gate closure regardless of being on time and the truth that her identify was talked about a number of occasions by way of the general public handle system. She vented out over this, significantly when it was not but time to shut the gate as stipulated by the struggle schedule.

These frustrations of hers boiled over verbally and ultimately, neither she nor the others have been allowed to board the flight. A number of individuals witnessed what occurred and everybody went their separate methods.

May There Be Extra Behind the Veil of Sylvia Baah?

It’s regular for passengers to overlook their flights on a regular basis and all world wide. When this occurs, the frustrations are inevitable. But, it’s being reported that Rashida Saani and others orchestrated the kidnapping of Sylvia Baah, Emirate Airways’ Airport Companies Supervisor at Kotoka Worldwide Airport—for the truth that they weren’t allowed to board a flight—technically lacking their flight.

After all, this doesn’t solely sound bizarre however it’s an excessive blatantly felony response to an on a regular basis frustration resembling lacking a flight. This raises the apparent query; may there have been extra to Sylvia Baah, her dealings on the airport with colleagues and workers in addition to in her non-public life which might make her a goal of kidnapping by any aggrieved individual?

Sylvia Baah could have stepped on the toes of many individuals at work and in her non-public life and these items can get an individual kidnapped in comparison with the only incident of a passenger lacking a flight. Each affordable individual would agree with this.

The investigating authorities ought to contemplate the behind the veil dealings of Sylvia Baah on the Kotoka Worldwide Airport or in her non-public life to assist in establishing a viable motive or discover the alleged kidnappers. May or not it’s that she has been concerned in muddy office politics or different sleezy dealings able to making her a goal of such a felony enterprise?

These questions are essential as a result of The Herald’s declare that Rashida Saani, a non-public citizen with no official function within the Safety Apparatuses, someway conspired with some travellers to kidnap Sylvia Baah is actually preposterous. These allegations, which haven’t any info to again them up apart from rumour, are then revealed in a nationally circulated newspaper, flouting maybe each single precept of journalism.

Journalistic Malpractice

To start with, The Herald quoted no sources, both from regulation enforcement or in any other case, who’ve concluded and even hinted at the truth that both of those three people was concerned within the kidnapping of Baah.

The allegation in opposition to Rashida specifically – seeing as how she has no place within the Safety companies – has a better normal of proof that The Herald makes no try to fulfill. The newspaper doesn’t quote any regulation enforcement sources to again up its declare, neither does it cite any documentation.

The Ghana Police Service, who rapidly managed to impact the rescue of Baah, have made no such pronouncements, public or in any other case. No single particular person has been implicated within the kidnapping but and if The Herald has any sources backing up their claims, the least they might do is trace at them. As a substitute, they linked two separate incidents and reached their very own conclusions, fully failing to fulfill the strict requirements of the occupation they purport to apply.

If all it takes to apply journalism as of late is to place two and two collectively and attain a conclusion with out proof or correct sourcing, then everybody can apply it. Journalism is revered as a result of it holds itself as much as very strict requirements that this text fully falls in need of.

The article additionally failed in a really primary tenet of journalism, which is to provide the opposite aspect an opportunity to current their aspect of the story. The Herald made no effort to get a response from the accused however merely rushed to print, once more fully flouting journalistic requirements. Saani has denied the accusation to us, stating she was appalled that anybody may suppose such a standard misunderstanding may lead her to commit one of the crucial heinous crimes possible.

Rashida Saani has no energy within the state safety equipment and is a non-public citizen who most likely had a single misunderstanding with a service. On what foundation can this frequent and on a regular basis prevalence then be equated to her changing into a kind of diabolical mastermind behind the scenes, orchestrating a kidnapping like old-world mafioso?

This will solely occur in a world by which journalistic requirements have been thrown to the canines and The Herald completely demonstrated that of their article.