Journalist and legal practitioner Samson Lardi Anyenini has renewed calls for legislative reforms aimed at protecting journalists and media organisations from what he describes as abusive defamation lawsuits that restrict public-interest reporting in Ghana.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, June 25, he warned that the increasing number of defamation suits being filed against journalists is having a chilling effect on press freedom.
He revealed that he is currently handling about 17 defamation-related cases involving journalists and media houses, describing many of them as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
“These are growing. On Press Freedom Day, the GJA President mentioned about 15 suits. I am defending 17 of these cases involving journalists and media houses. Most of them are what you would call nuisance suits,” he said.
According to him, SLAPP suits are often filed by individuals with financial means to burden journalists with legal processes, thereby discouraging scrutiny and limiting reporting on matters of public interest.
He noted that once such cases are initiated in court, journalists are frequently constrained from continuing to report on the issues, which he said undermines transparency and democratic accountability.
Mr. Anyenini therefore called for the introduction of a comprehensive Defamation Act that includes explicit anti-SLAPP provisions to prevent the misuse of the legal system against journalists.
“We need a Defamation Act that includes anti-SLAPP provisions to help address this problem,” he stated.
He also advocated for the passage of a separate Contempt of Court Act, arguing that clearer statutory guidelines would help ensure consistency and fairness in how contempt proceedings are handled.
His remarks come amid ongoing national conversations about press freedom, following recent contempt rulings against media practitioners, including the sentencing of The Herald publisher Larry Dogbey to seven days’ imprisonment in a high-profile case involving businessman Kevin Okyere and Petraco SA.
