Media under Siege: When Civil Society Actors Use Violence to Gag the Media in Ghana’s Northern Region

In recent times, Ghana has been lauded as a bastion of press freedom in Africa. However, drawing on the work of Johan Galtung that locates the media in a vortex of the State, Capital and Civil Society, this study problematizes the phenomenon whereby civil society elements in the Northern Region of the West African nation attenuate media freedoms through violence and intimidation of media workers. Adopting the point of departure that freedom of the press is necessary for the proper functioning of Ghana‘s burgeoning democracy, this study, through interviews with radio station management and staff, confirms that radio stations in the Tamale metropolis of the region adhere to a self-censorship regime as a result of this phenomenon, with inimical consequences for the health and integrity of the public sphere. This study therefore expands the discussion of media censorship beyond the more popular paradigms of State or Capital dominance over the media. While this study confirms the existence of the phenomenon of Civil Society censorship of media, it suggests a failure of the State to guarantee the safety of broadcasters in the Tamale metropolis. It also suggests a weakness of the journalists‘ association at the national level to advocate on behalf of members who face violence and intimidation in the course of their duties at the regional level in Tamale.