Today, the world’s eyes are on Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama is in the United States, ready to table a UN resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the ‘Gravest Crime Against Humanity.’ This is a historic moment, not just for Ghana, but for people of African descent worldwide. Every word, every action, every gesture is being watched with hope and respect. And yet, while Ghana shines on the global stage, a domestic media organisation, The Fourth Estate, has chosen today to publish a story that is, at best, irrelevant, and at worst, a deliberate distraction. That is blatant sabotage.
The report does not expose new wrongdoing. It cherry-picks procurement data from the Big Push programme, spinning it into a tale of failure. On its own, it is trivial. But the timing? That is the real story.
President Mahama is in the US championing a global cause that has brought great honour and respect to our motherland, Ghana. He left Ghana on Monday, 23 March 2026, and today, Tuesday, 24 March 2026, he is engaged in various events leading up to tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 March 2026- the big day the whole Black race is waiting for.
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History shows a troubling pattern. During the previous Mahama administration, Manasseh Azure, who would himself become a key figure at The Fourth Estate, released a sensational allegation on the very day President Mahama’s Muslim mother passed away. It was not just that his mother had died that day. She was also being buried that day, in accordance with Islamic customs. There was no fellow feeling. No iota of humanity. The claim, later cleared by CHRAJ, suggested Mahama had received a bribe. The timing left an indelible mark on public perception.
Today, the playbook is familiar. As President Mahama champions a cause that elevates Ghana’s global standing and confronts centuries of injustice, a story appears, conveniently designed to divert attention. The content is trivial. The timing is malicious.
This is not coincidence. This is not “critical journalism.” This is calculated distraction. The world sees Ghana leading on reparative justice, yet some local voices insist on looking downward, caught in petty controversies with no bearing on Ghana’s national interest.
Imagine the alternative. The Ghanaian media amplifying Ghana’s historic initiative, celebrating leadership, courage, and moral authority. What a moment it could have been. Instead, we are offered distraction dressed as news.
The harm lies in the pattern. Repeatedly, some media actors deploy stories timed to coincide with personal or national milestones, prioritising narrative warfare over public interest. It signals a willingness to compromise national pride for selfish, partisan, or vindictive ends.
The UN will recognise the slave trade as a crime against humanity. History will remember Ghana as a leader in that cause. And history will also remember the domestic actors who tried, time and again, to dim that light.
Ghanaians deserve media that lifts, informs, and unites in moments of global significance. Journalism should measure a story against its national impact, not its capacity to inflame or distract.
Tomorrow, as President Mahama leads the world in a historic call for justice, Ghana’s media must ask: what matters most- the moment, the people, the country, or the sensationalism of the day? Because when timing becomes sabotage, it is not just news. It is a betrayal of national pride.
Source: thecatalystgh.com
