Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has defended the interviewing style of Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of Joy FM’s flagship current affairs programme, Newsfile, arguing that the programme’s reputation for rigorous questioning would be undermined if the host stopped challenging guests during discussions.
Mr Awuni said he had repeatedly encountered criticism of Mr Anyenini’s style, particularly his tendency to interrupt guests when they are making submissions that require clarification, substantiation or correction.
According to him, while some viewers and guests may find the approach irritating, it is precisely what distinguishes Newsfile from many other political and current affairs programmes in Ghana.
“Every now and then, I hear or read biting criticism of the style of Samson Lardy Anyenini, the host of Joy FM’s Newsfile,” Mr Awuni stated.
He said the criticism, which often comes from social media commentators and some guests who appear on the programme, largely centres on the host’s refusal to allow speakers to make lengthy submissions without interruption.
Mr Awuni cited a recent edition of Newsfile involving the Member of Parliament for Akwatia, who, according to him, criticised Mr Anyenini and called on the host to remain neutral during the discussion.
The journalist said the MP wanted Mr Anyenini to allow him to exhaust his allotted time without interruption.
However, Mr Anyenini pushed back against the demand, particularly in relation to discussions surrounding the false publication law and what has been described as its abuse by state authorities.
According to Mr Awuni, the Newsfile host made a distinction between neutrality and fairness, stressing that while he would be fair in handling the discussion, he would not adopt neutrality on the substantive issue under consideration.
Mr Awuni said the position reflected what he considers to be an important responsibility of a current affairs host: ensuring that discussions do not become platforms for unchallenged claims or misinformation.
Mr Awuni argued that one of the features that separates Newsfile from many talk shows in Ghana is the host’s willingness to interrogate claims made by guests.
“There is something that separates Newsfile from many talk shows in this country. You cannot appear on Newsfile and lie unchallenged,” he said.
He added that guests appearing on the programme could not simply make allegations without being asked to substantiate them, nor could they mislead the audience without the host drawing attention to relevant facts or providing the necessary context.
For Mr Awuni, that approach is not a weakness of the programme but one of its major strengths.
He explained that it was the reason he personally find the programme appealing and continues to listen to it.
“That is why some social commentators find Samson’s style irritating. For me, it is the reason I find the show appealing. That’s why I listen to Newsfile,” he stated.
Mr Awuni further argued that the role of a programme host should go beyond allocating predetermined amounts of time to guests.
He said a host should not simply act as a “timekeeper” who remains silent while participants make their submissions and intervenes only when their allotted time expires.
Instead, he believes the host must actively participate as a moderator by asking follow-up questions, challenging questionable claims and seeking clarification on behalf of the audience.
“Hosting a show mustn’t be a passive allotment of time to the speakers. A show host must not be a timekeeper who only comes in when a speaker’s time is up,” he said.
According to him, the host should effectively represent the audience in the studio by asking questions that viewers and listeners may themselves be asking.
He said a host could also deliberately play the role of a devil’s advocate where necessary, particularly when doing so would help expose inconsistencies or bring greater clarity to an issue.
The investigative journalist said he loses interest in discussions when guests make what he considers obvious false claims but the host fails to challenge them.
He argued that allowing potentially false or unsubstantiated claims to go unchallenged could have consequences beyond the programme itself because audiences may accept such claims as facts.
“I stop listening to discussions when a guest tells obvious lies, and the host does not challenge him,” Mr Awuni said.
He maintained that a host who invites a guest onto a programme has a responsibility to ensure that the platform is not used to spread unsupported claims or misinformation.
“If you bring a guest to the studio and allow him or her to make spurious claims or peddle falsehoods, you’re a participant in poisoning the atmosphere,” he stated.
Mr Awuni also stressed the importance of preparation by programme hosts, arguing that journalists and moderators must have a working knowledge of the issues being discussed.
He said hosts are expected to read and research ahead of programmes so they can identify misleading claims, demand evidence where necessary and steer conversations back to the facts.
“A show host is a moderator, not a timekeeper,” he said.
He added that the host should be sufficiently familiar with the subject matter to intervene when a guest begins to mislead the audience or departs from the substantive issues under discussion.
Mr Awuni acknowledged that such an approach could upset political communicators and “spin doctors”, particularly when their claims are subjected to immediate scrutiny.
However, he argued that this form of rigorous moderation is necessary for maintaining the quality of public discourse.
“This will infuriate the spin doctors. But it is what distinguishes good shows from bad ones,” he said.
He cautioned that changing Mr Anyenini’s style in response to criticism could fundamentally alter what he believes has made Newsfile distinctive.
According to him, if the host are to abandon his questioning style and simply allow guests to make uninterrupted submissions, the programme could lose the very quality that has attracted its audience.
“If Samson keeps quiet and only allots time to guests to spin their tales uninterrupted, Newsfile will either die,” Mr Awuni warned.
“Or it will attract a band of listeners with an appetite for unintellectual discourse. And that’s not the kind Joy FM was set up to serve,” he added.
By 1960news.com
