Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah has defended his decision to deny an interview request by award-winning Joy FM journalist, Seth Kwame Boateng.
According to him, his words on road safety were taken out of context by Joy FM, making the public subject him to public ridicule, a situation he said has damaged his reputation as a minister.
“I made some comments on the floor of parliament some time ago regarding road safety. Joy FM took my words out of context and twisted them, suggesting that I said when roads are constructed, people die, he said.
He said even though the Public Relations outfit of his ministry drew the station’s attention to the misrepresentation, it failed to correct the wrong attribution, he told Kwesi Asempa on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Monday.
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Award-winning journalist Seth Kwame Boateng had revealed esquele to the release of his Crushed documentary that the minister denied him an interview request during the process.
The denial, he said was because the minister said he works with Joy FM.
The denial was after the minister had agreed that Seth meets him at Koforidua, a journey he undertook from Accra only for its purpose not to be fulfilled upon arrival.
Mr Boateng said he wanted to interview the minister so he could share his views on the matter but it ended on an unfortunate note.
According to the renowned journalist, Mr Amoako-Attah said the media house had misrepresented him some time ago so he couldn’t grant the interview.
Mr Amoako-Attah wondered why the same media house that maligned him by twisting his statement will come to him again on the same subject matter.
He said he is a great friend of the media and is always grateful to opportunities offered him by the media but will not allow any media house to run him down as a public officer.
The minister who sounded very angry during the interview on Adom FM said until an apology is rendered, he will not grant any interviews to the station.
He said what hurts him most is that he has drawn their attention to the matter but they have still not come to apologise.
“I have a credibility to protect and so until Joy FM apologises for misrepresenting me, I won’t grant them any interview. I know what a documentary means to a media house but they need to apologise to me and that is what they have failed to do,” he fumed.
To him, the media outfit also owes the public and public officer duty, adding that the conduct of Joy FM has really affected him.