President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned journalists against what he describes as overzealous reporting and the deliberate search for scandals, saying media freedom must be exercised with civility and fairness.

He said his government recognised the media’s responsibility to hold public officials accountable and would uphold that mandate, but warned that excessive conduct could distract from the country’s development priorities.

Speaking at a journalism awards ceremony in Accra on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the President said there was a distinction between legitimate scrutiny of government and what he considered overzealous reporting.

“I must also draw the line where journalism becomes overzealous. As a journalist myself, I believe that it pushes the limits of media, zealously, when a journalist publicly challenges a minister to call into an issue to expose him over a so-called discrepancy that the journalist has discovered,” he said.

“This government that I lead will uphold the media’s mandate to hold government to account. But it distracts attention from the people’s business when we split heads in a deliberate search for scandals where none exists,” he added.

His comments come amid public debate over JoyNews Research findings on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa and subsequent exchanges between journalists and Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over discrepancies in the reported evacuation expenditure.

President Mahama also welcomed Ghana’s improved position in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Ghana rose from 52nd position in 2025 to 39th out of 180 countries in the 2026 rankings, with a score of 72.20, compared with 67.13 the previous year.

The ranking places Ghana fourth in Africa and represents its strongest performance in five years.

The President said the government would continue engaging the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to protect journalists and ensure that Ghana remained a safe environment for media practice.

He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to working with the association to sustain the country’s gains in press freedom.

Mahama cautions journalists against overzealous reporting and scandal hunting

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