Accra, Feb. 14, GNA- Dr Yawa Solace Asafo, a lecturer, University of Media, Arts, and Communication (UniMAC), has called for responsible journalism to rid the country of bad utterances engulfing the media space.
« The sense of responsibility as hosts, guests, and producers plays a key role in addressing unprofessionalism in the media landscape, » she said.
The lecturer said this during the celebration of this year’s World Radio Day in Accra, organised by UniMAC and the Ghana Commission for UNESCO.
It is on the theme: « Forging Peace, Civility, and Addressing Incitement to Violence: The Role of Radio. »
She said political media ownership played a critical role in contributing to intemperate language on the media spectrum and called for concerted efforts to address the phenomenon.
« We need to pay attention to those who drive the conversations on the radio and streamline the system to ensure sanity in the sector, » she said.
The emerging trend in addressing excesses in media journalism was to use radio as a tool for peace prevention and to promote national cohesion.
She suggested the « name and shame » approach to individuals or radio stations that incite violence to serve as a deterrent to potential offenders.
Dr Asafo said political media owners must adhere to the ethics of journalism, irrespective of their affiliation, to ensure peace ahead of the general elections.
The editorial policies of media houses, she stated must reflect professional ethics to ensure sustained peace and security in the country.
Mr George Amoh, the Executive Secretary, National Peace Council, said the country could be built on an atmosphere of peace, saying, » We need to develop respect for each other to forget peace. »
He urged authorities to exercise their constitutional duties by providing the needed social amenities to the citizenry for a united front.
Mr Kwaku Krobea Asante, Lead Facts Check, Media Foundation for West Africa, urged stakeholders in the media to be decorous in their utterances to sustain the country’s peace.
He said Rwanda genocide was as a result of intemperate language in the radio discussions which claimed lot of lives and stated that Ghana was not an exception because Rwanda was once a peaceful country.
Mr Wiston Amoah, a journalist with Joyfm, advised media practitioners to see themselves as agents of development in the course of their duties.
Ms Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, Secretary General, Ghana Commission for UNESCO, urged stakeholders in the media sector to use radio to shape public opinion, build and sustain peace, and foster positive dialogue for development.
Ms Rebecca Ekpe, the Public Relations Officer, Ghana Journalists Association, called on the National Media Commission to be proactive in its monitoring duties and sanction media houses which go contrary to the ethics of the profession.
That, she stressed, was important because it would help streamline media content ahead of the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The World Radio Day was proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day in February 13.
The objective is to raise public awareness of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to use it to provide access to information, and to improve international co-operation among broadcasters.
Kodjo Adams
