Renowned sports journalist Jerome Otchere has strongly criticised the disrespectful insults directed at Black Stars assistant coach John Paintsil by Adom TV’s Patrick Osei Agyemang, also known as Countryman Songo.
Otchere, a former editor of Kotoko Express, expressed his dismay over Songo’s verbal abuse of Paintsil on his social media page on Friday, March 22, 2024.
He condemned Songo’s behaviour as a violation of journalistic ethics and emphasized the importance of condemning such actions.
Otchere also criticized Songo for resorting to insults when addressing individuals with differing opinions. While acknowledging Paintsil’s comments on the ‘Save Ghana Football’ demonstration, Otchere stressed the importance of media professionals maintaining decorum and respect in their discourse.
“Songo’s verbal abuse of @GhanaBlackstars Deputy Coach, John Painstil, on live television and radio is utterly condemnable. Multimedia must take a grim view of his misconduct and act accordingly because such a stream of unwarranted, barefaced, hateful, insults is not entertained in any civil society.
“What kind of media culture are we building? I know he and of course, his admirers will disagree with me and predictably,they will let me have my dose of the uncouth language they speak of all who dissent on his style of sports presentation.
“At this stage, I do not care because some of these things should be called what they are — WRONG! They must have no place in sane media and civil society. I am not perfect but if in our work or lives, our duty is not to set good examples for others to follow, then we are wasting whatever we have been given.
“We all have our take on anyone working for the Black Stars. We all like or do not like one or two things the team and their officials do. That is normal but to mount media platforms to wash a national figure in the manner, Songo must be rejected by all right-thinking members of the sports and media fraternity,” he shared on X (formerly Twitter).
A circulating video on social media captures Songo directing inappropriate and ethically questionable remarks towards John Paintsil following Paintsil’s appointment as deputy coach of the Black Stars.
Songo appears to have taken offense at Paintsil’s public statement regarding a demonstration held on February 14, 2024, interpreting it as a personal attack since Songo was involved in organizing the protest.
Meanwhile, John Paintsil is currently in Morocco with the Black Stars, preparing for their upcoming match against Nigeria on Friday, March 22, 2024. The team will then face Uganda on March 26 to conclude the international break for March 2024.