#BawumiaHostsTheMedia: Journalists confirm receiving between 2,000 to GHS 10,000 each

Speculations have emerged that journalists who were invited to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s Meet the Press event were paid huge sums of money.

The rumours surfaced hours after the end of the event which was held on Sunday, August 25, at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. The media engagement event was said to be part of a series of activities to deepen the dissemination of the manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) days after it was launched.

Even though the speculations have been labelled as false by many, others insist it is true.

Many people have contacted Fact-Check Ghana to help verify the claim about whether journalists who were present at the event were paid or not.

Based on the public request, the Fact-Check Ghana team commenced a verification process. The process included speaking to several journalists who were at the event as well as the Communication Director of the Bawumia Campaign, Dennis Miracles Aboagye.

Based on our verification, Fact-Check Ghana can confirm that journalists at the event were paid between GHS 2,000 to GHS 10,000 each. The journalists who have confirmed receiving the amount include those from within Accra and others who were transported from the various regions for the event.

“I received GHS 10,000, not GHS20,000. They also paid for my flight and accommodation for one night,” one of the journalists told Fact-Check Ghana.

Some of the journalists confirmed that they signed against their names before receiving the cash.

“I can only speak about what I received, which was GHS 10,000 and I signed for it,” another journalist told Fact-Check Ghana.

Others also said they were either paid GHS 2,000, GHS 3,000 or GHS 5,000.

The Director of Communication for the Bawumia Campaign told Fact-Check Ghana that the #BawumiaHostsTheMedia event invited 220 journalists. He however denied that they paid journalists GHS10,000.

“I haven’t given any GHS20,000 or 10,000 to any media house. The highest amount of money any media person received was between GHS 2,000 and GHS 5,000. They are all not the same, some were even bloggers,” he said.

Mr Aboagye further explained that the journalists who were invited from outside Accra were provided more money to cover their accommodation and transportation.

“Take someone who came from Kumasi or Tamale, for instance, if you give them GHS 5,000 or GHS 7,000 then you [must] add their accommodation and transport to ensure you have covered them.”

He emphasized that the event organizer should cover the transportation and accommodation costs for participants travelling from outside Accra to the media engagement.

Contrary to Dennis Aboagye’s explanation, some of the journalists who were contacted from outside Accra said they received GHS 10,000 and that was not to cater for their transport or accommodation.  Indeed, some journalists based in Accra who were neither accommodated nor flown to Accra also confirmed receiving GHS 10,000.