By: Isaac Amoah/tntnewspapergh.com
The Chairman of National Media Commission (NMC) and veteran media practitioner, Mr. Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, has urged all media houses and journalists across the country to help protect the peace of the country by desisting from pronouncing the supposed winner of the December 7 general election.
Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo,NMC Chairman,Lawyer Paul Adu Gyamfi, Ashanti Regional Media Advisory Committee chairman among others in a chat after the forum.
“Ghana is the only country we have, and we can never sacrifice the peace we’re enjoying for anything. So NMC’s advice to all journalists in the country is that let’s wait for the Electoral Commission to make the final declaration of the results,” he said.
Mr. Ayeboafo, who is also a lawyer and associate professor, made the passionate appeal at a day’s “Media Forum for Election 2024” organised by the Ashanti Regional Media Advisory Committee (ARMAC), in collaboration with NMC.
It was held at Longford Event Centre at Odeneho-Kwadaso on Tuesday, 5th November 2024.
The purpose of the forum was to equip participants to combat issues such as disinformation, misinformation, fake news, hate speech, etc. ahead of the December polls.
The NMC chairman tasked the media to take the biggest responsibility to ensure that Ghana is stable after the December polls. He reminded media practitioners that people are not interested in who reported an incident first but the one who reports it accurately and fairly.
A section of the participants
“Let’s stay objective as journalists. Let’s be mindful of our choice of words in the lead up to the general election,” he stressed.
Mr. Ayeboafo also advised media practitioners to always double-check any information to avoid spreading misinformation, disinformation and fake news.
Besides, the NMC chairman advised media practitioners to take personal safety critically in all their endeavours.
”Don’t sing the praises of your media house employers, especially those who are politicians for their political gains to lose their integrity as journalists. Let’s protect our profession in order not to allow politicians to mislead us because they’re not wiser or more intelligent than us,” he added.
“With few days to the December polls, let’s all play our roles effectively without taking sides but rather gather the facts as they are for the public to judge in their decision-making,” he emphasised.
On his part, the Chairman of Ashanti Regional Advisory Committee, who doubles as former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Lawyer Paul Adu Gyamfi, stressed the need for media practitioners to report accurately devoid of misinformation and disinformation.
According to him, the need for the media to play its role effectively to ensure violence-free general election cannot be overemphasised.
“Please don’t rush to report that someone has won the election but wait for the official declaration by the Electoral Commission. Be very careful of your reportage so as to help Ghana move forward after the December polls,” he advised.
