The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has secured GH¢544,000 to provide legal support to journalists in Ghana facing lawsuits arising from their professional work, amid growing concerns over the use of litigation to put financial and legal pressure on the media.
The fund, established under the African Media Integrity and Resilience Programme (AMIRP), is intended to help journalists access legal assistance and better understand the laws governing their work.
The programme is being implemented by MFWA in partnership with International Media Support (IMS) and DW Akademie, with funding from the European Union.
The disclosure was made during a five-day training programme for journalists from Ghana’s Northern sector held at the Miklin Hotel in Kumasi from September 21 to 25, 2026.
The training focused on legal frameworks, media rights and redress mechanisms aimed at helping journalists operate safely and responsibly.
Lawsuits becoming a growing threat
Journalist and lawyer Samson Lardy Anyenini, who spoke at the training, said journalists were increasingly being confronted with lawsuits over their professional work.
He, however, distinguished lawful legal action from physical attacks on journalists, noting that the courts remained a legitimate avenue for people or institutions seeking redress against media reports.
Under Ghana’s democratic system, he said, persons dissatisfied with a publication had several lawful options, including seeking a rejoinder or pursuing legal redress.
He said the MFWA’s intervention was therefore timely, particularly at a time when journalists and media organisations were increasingly being confronted with legal challenges.
Anyenini also drew attention to the growing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which he said could be deployed as a means of intimidating or silencing journalists.
He said the financial difficulties confronting many media organisations and individual journalists could make prolonged litigation particularly damaging, as some lacked the resources to mount an effective legal defence.
The Legal Support Fund, he said, would help address that gap by giving journalists access to legal assistance when they faced lawsuits connected to their work.
He stressed, however, that where journalists made genuine professional errors, established legal and professional mechanisms should be used to address them rather than litigation being deployed as a tool of intimidation.
Legal pressure adds to media threats
The concerns come against the backdrop of broader threats confronting journalism in Ghana, including attacks on journalists, intimidation, harassment, threats and legal action.
For journalists, the threat is not limited to physical safety. The prospect of expensive and prolonged litigation can also impose significant financial and professional pressure on individual journalists and media organisations, particularly those already operating under difficult economic conditions.
It is against this background that the AMIRP programme seeks to strengthen journalists’ ability to identify, prevent and manage legal risks associated with their work.
The initiative is also expected to raise awareness of available legal protection mechanisms and the MFWA’s Legal Support Fund, while strengthening collaboration among journalists, lawyers and media support organisations.
MFWA reviewing journalism curriculum
Daniel Kwame Ampofo Agye, Programmes Manager for Media for Democracy and Good Governance, said the media’s role in providing citizens with a platform to express their views and participate in democratic governance made it important for journalists and media organisations to remain resilient in the face of legal and financial pressures.
He said many media houses did not have the financial capacity to pursue or defend legal cases, even where they believed they had acted within the law.
Agye also disclosed that MFWA was reviewing the media training curriculum used by journalism training institutions in Ghana to ensure that it reflected contemporary developments and practices in the industry.
He said proposals from the review would be subjected to further assessment before they were implemented.
The AMIRP initiative forms part of broader efforts by MFWA and its partners to strengthen the resilience of Ghana’s media, improve journalists’ understanding of the legal environment and expand access to legal protection and redress.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
