Richard Sky, Berla Mundi & Serwaa Amihere among most abused journalists in Ghana – Report

iWatch Africa’s DisinfoEye platform, supported by Impact Amplifier, has tracked 502 instances of online abuse and harassment targeting journalists in Ghana’s digital ecosystem in the third-quarter of 2025. The data gathered from July 2025 – September 2025 revealed that journalists Richard Dela Sky, Berla Mundi, Serwaa Amihere, and Manasseh Azure Awuni were among the most abused, highlighting a significant threat to press freedom and democratic dialogue.

Abuse of journalists in Ghana’s digital space is rising, a trend experts warn could exert a profound “chilling effect” on journalism, undermining a key pillar of a democratic society: press freedom. The survey shows that journalists covering contentious social, political, and cultural issues are increasingly targeted by those opposing their views, often using social media platforms like X and Facebook to launch barrages of insults, sexual harassment, and defamation.

Key findings from 502 cases tracked

The DisinfoEye platform’s third quarter snapshot, analyzed and examined specific instances of abuse across eight journalists, contributing to a total of 502 cases since monitoring began. In all, data from 20 journalists were examined.

Key insights include:

• Abuse types: Insults dominate at 70% (352 cases), followed by sexual harassment at 20% (100 cases), and defamation/smear campaigns at 10% (50 cases).
• Gender disparity: Approximately 60% of abuses target female journalists, who face additional gendered attacks such as body-shaming and sexualized threats.
• Platforms: 80% of cases occur on X/Twitter, 20% on Facebook.
• High-risk topics: Political commentary drives 50% of abuses, followed by cultural issues (30%) and corruption (20%).

A 2020 UNESCO report showed that 31% of journalists tone down coverage due to online harassment, while 15% abandon stories entirely.

Top eight most abused journalists

The DisinfoEye platform identified the following journalists as the most abused, based on harassment instances tracked:

Gendered abuse and press freedom

DisinfoEye’s data reaffirms the UNESCO finding that female journalists bear an extra burden, with 60% of abuses and also face sexualized insults. These attacks suppress diverse media voices. The platform’s hotline received over 50 reports, enabling interventions like counseling and legal support. Smear campaigns, up 25% during election seasons, threaten further growth, with a projected 20% rise by 2026 without action.

Gideon Sarpong, iWatch Africa’s co-founder and digital rights expert, stated:

“iWatch Africa is determined to work closely with CHRAJ, policymakers, and law enforcement to develop protocols for psychological and legal support for journalists, proper reporting of online harassment, and enhanced content moderation. All criminal-level abuses will be submitted to the police and CHRAJ for investigation and redress.”

“The rapid proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media is dramatically intensifying targeted attacks and abuses against journalists. To counter this escalating threat, the journalism community, tech platforms, and policymakers must adopt far more robust, coordinated, and proactive measures including real-time detection tools, sustained digital-safety training, and enforceable accountability mechanisms for those who weaponise these technologies.”

The DisinfoEye initiative has so far empowered 20 newsrooms in Ghana with Online Safety Units, and trained 5 monitors for real-time tracking, and reached over 5 million Ghanaians through awareness campaigns.

Journalists can directly report abuses via www.disinfoeye.com or contact info@iwatchafrica.org.

The 502 cases documented by DisinfoEye, expose a critical threat to Ghanaian journalists. Through real-time data, advocacy, and partnerships, iWatch Africa is committed to building a safer digital ecosystem to safeguard press freedom and bolster Ghana’s democracy.

Report by iWatch Africa