Supreme Court judge nominee, Justice Janapare Adzua Bartels-Kodwo, has called for stronger regulation and collaboration between the judiciary and media institutions to ensure more accurate court reporting.
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Justice Bartels-Kodwo expressed concern about what she described as misreporting and sensationalism in the coverage of court proceedings.
“People have to learn how to report. We have judicial media persons, I believe, but sometimes they don’t report exactly,” she said. “But I think it’s a learning process.”
She proposed a collaborative approach involving the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) to equip journalists with the skills necessary for responsible legal reportage.
“Maybe we can have some further regulations that will make the media or the journalist realise that the fact that he has a microphone, or the fact that there is ink in his barrel or pen, or the fact that he has a keyboard that has an enter stroke, does not mean that he can just go to town,” she said pointedly.
Justice Bartels-Kodwo suggested that if such concerns are brought to the attention of the Acting Chief Justice, steps can be taken to organise structured engagements with media personnel.
“I believe that can be done in collaboration with the JTI, and if it is brought to the attention of the office of the Acting CJ, that certainly can be arranged,” she added.