Dreamz FM’s fake news sparks death threat against Edward Adeti

A false report published online by Dreamz FM, a private media house in Bolgatanga, has triggered a death threat directed at an investigative journalist, Edward Adeti.

The last paragraph of the report, which was put out by Dreamzfmonline.com on 15th December, 2021, states that a court has exonerated a former Minister of State at the Presidency, Rockson Bukari, who resigned from the government in 2019 over a bribery scandal.

But contrary to the report, no court of law has tried or exonerated the former minister. The minister resigned after he was heard in a recorded telephone conversation trying to use cash to kill an investigative story about a High Court judge, Justice Jacob Boon, and a Chinese company, Shaanxi Mining Ghana Ltd.

Adeti, who now works with The Fourth Estate which is under the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), received a death threat via an SMS two days after the publication on Dreamzfmonline.com. The SMS texter(s), who threatened to shoot and burn the investigative journalist, justified the threat by making reference to the news published by Dreamzfmonline.com that the former minister had been exonerated.

The journalist said he had lodged a complaint at the Bolgatanga Divisional Police Headquarters and informed a number of international press freedom and safety stakeholders about the development.

“Some time ago, a group of like-minded reporters deliberately lied to the public that the Circuit Court in Bolgatanga had acquitted and discharged Rockson Bukari. My family suffered again as a result of the false publications those reporters churned out. The court itself exposed them by saying their reports were false; you can simply find that on the internet. They should mention when Rockson Bukari appeared before court, they should mention the court and produce records from that court to support their claims. They keep repeating this naked lie because they are pursuing an unreasonable agenda,” Adeti said.

It would be recalled that Adeti’s house in Bolgatanga, following the minister’s resignation, came under attack in 2019 from faceless persons suspected to be sympathisers of the former minister. The attack followed a radio programme aired on Yem Radio in Bolgatanga. Many residents observed that the programme was orchestrated to incite a section of the public against the journalist. Two among those who took part in that programme are said to be presenters at Dreamz FM today.