Reigning P.V. Ansah 2023 Journalist of the Year, Edward Adeti, has urged colleagues not to allow the fear of death to discourage them from telling the truth for the public good.
The investigative journalist, who has worked with several reputable media houses in Ghana and now writes for Media Without Borders, is well-known for a series of threats and persecutions he has faced in connection with his work.
He is a speaker at the ongoing 20th edition of the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“Journalists should not be afraid of pain, hunger, rejection, and death. The truth is that whether you speak the truth or not, you will still go. It is better to speak the truth and go well. Leonardo da Vinci said, ‘As a day well spent gives a joyful sleep, so does a life well spent give a joyful death.’
“As journalists, we should be as true to ourselves as possible so that we finish our mission on earth, and we should be smiling when we are about to die,” he said during a session at the conference.
He made a presentation during the session on the recent investigative story that earned him Ghana’s topmost journalism award, “Stealing from the Sick.”
The story reveals how Ghana lost millions of cedis in medicines stolen on a massive scale for about two years from the Upper East Regional Hospital.
The thefts caused rampant shortages of drugs at the public hospital, resulting in the loss of lives and the deterioration of conditions for some patients.
The investigation led to the arrests and ongoing criminal trials of some members of the syndicate responsible for the thefts.
Africa’s foremost investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, addressed the conference afterward in the same session.
He stressed the need for investigative journalists to obtain hardcore evidence when they are engaged in a mission to expose wrongdoing.
He said having such evidence is the finest way to effectively substantiate claims that a crime has been committed, particularly when the need arises in a court of law.
“When I go undercover, I take evidence that I know will lead to a conviction when I stand in court. Those are the key things I look at when I go undercover.
“This attracts a lot of criticism. For example, when I was doing this story on football, I was sued 66 times and won all. I’m just trying to emphasise the fact that hardcore evidence is the key to the work we do,” he stated.
“When you say a crime has been committed, you’ve got to be able to substantiate that claim. It doesn’t also mean that undercover work is the first line of action. Undercover work is always the last resort. When all conventional methods fail to gather evidence, that is when you decide to go undercover,” he added.
Excerpts of some of the investigative works Anas undertook in the past, including a recent collaboration with the BBC titled “Slavery at Sea,” were shown to the audience during the session.
Anas’ “Slavery at Sea” is a story about Africans who underwent severe suffering due to being trafficked to Scotland.
It highlights the victims’ experiences and how the person responsible for their plight was investigated through an undercover operation and subsequently arrested.
Speaking further, Anas acknowledged that some people disagreed with him but affirmed that he was least bothered about their opinions as long as his work had a positive impact on society.
“I also agree with some of our colleagues who think that journalists ought to remain separate and cannot be activists. I don’t care what you call me. What is important to me is the positive impact that I have on society.
“When I set out to do my work, I consider that as good people sit and plan to effect good in society, evil people also sit and plan. Of course, this job comes with a lot of dangers,” he stated.
The session was moderated by one of Ghana’s globally recognized investigative journalists, Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, who is also a speaker at the conference.
Several other speakers are expected to feature in different sessions at the three-day conference, which began on Wednesday and ends on Friday this week.
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