Miracles confirms journalists were paid for Bawumia Meet the Press, reveals amount

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, the campaign spokesperson for the New Patriotic Party flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has confirmed that journalists were paid to attend Bawumia's Meet the Press engagement.

The event, tagged BawumiaHostsMedia, was held on Sunday, August 25th, at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. The media engagement event was part of a series of activities to deepen the dissemination of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) manifesto days after its launch.

Onua TV presenter Captain Smart fuelled speculations that journalists invited to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s Meet the Press event were paid huge sums of money. He claimed the journalists were paid GH?20,000 each, a report now considered inaccurate.

This follows a detailed report by Fact Check Ghana indicating that some journalists were indeed paid for their attendance; however, the amount was between GH?2,000 and GH?10,000.

In the publication cited by pulse.com.gh, Dennis Miracles Aboagye confirmed and detailed the payment but denied paying any journalist GH?20,000.

“I haven’t given any GH?20,000 or GH?10,000 to any media house. The highest amount of money any media person received was between GH?2,000 and GH?5,000. They are all not the same, some were even bloggers,” he told the website.

Mr Aboagye further explained that journalists 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 GH?5,000 or GH?7,000 then you [must] add their accommodation and transport to ensure you have covered them,” he added.

Contrary to Mr Aboagye’s claims, some journalists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they received GH?10,000.

“Some of the journalists who were contacted from outside Accra said they received GH?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 GH?10,000,” the publication said.

A journalist corroborated the report, saying, “I received GH?10,000, not GH?20,000. They also paid for my flight and accommodation for one night.”

The Bawumia Campaign's Director of Communication told Fact-Check Ghana that the #BawumiaHostsTheMedia event invited 220 journalists.

However, none of the well-known journalists with bloggers, such as Berla Mundi, Paul Adom Otchere, Samson Lardy Anyenini, Evans Mensah, Okatakyie Afrifa, Nana Yaa Brefo, Umaru Sanda Eugene Nkansah and Kwadwo Sheldon have publicly spoken on these new claims yet.

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