The media has been charged to exude a high level of professionalism in its coverage of the impending electoral process and endeavour to desist from being the declarers of election results.
Samuel Akapule, a chief reporter of the Ghana News Agency, made this call at a capacity building workshop organised by the Electoral Commission dubbed “Enhancing inclusiveness in Ghana’s electoral process” held in Bolgatanga, Tuesday.
Reading a statement on the topic “Contribution of the media towards the election” Mr. Akapule said the media should never attempt to be the declarers of election results since that is the duty of the Electoral Commission.
The statement noted that “elections constitute a big challenge to the media, putting its impartiality and objectivity to the test.”
Below is the full statement.
THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MEDIA TOWARDS ELECTION SUCCESS.
A PAPER DELIVERED BY SAMUEL ADADI AKAPULE , A CHIEF REPORTER OF THE GHANA NEWS AGENCY,ON APPRIL 12, 2016 AT THE EC CONFERENCE ROOM, BOLGATANGA, UPPER EAST REGION.
Mr Chairman,
The Regional Director of the EC,
Colleague Media Practitioners,
All Protocol Observed,
It affords me a great pleasure to be called upon to deliver a Paper on the topic “The Contributions of the Media towards Election.” My presentation would focus on the role of the Media in Election, the Challenges and the Way forward.
The media have traditionally been understood to refer to the printed press as well as radio and television broadcasters. However, in recent years, the definition has become broader, encompassing new media including online journalism, and social media. Citizen journalism is widely gaining traction, including in countries where traditional media is either controlled or strictly regulated.
Mr Chairman the role of the Media in our democratic dispensation cannot be overemphasised. The role of the Media in election goes beyond its normal “watchdog role.” Among some of the key roles of the Media during elections include:
- by educating voters on how to exercise their democratic rights;
- by reporting on the development of an election campaign;
- by providing a platform for the political parties and candidates to communicate their message to the electorate;
- by providing a platform for the public to communicate their concerns, opinions, and needs, to the parties/candidates, the Electoral Management Body , the government, and to other voters, and to interact on these issues;
- by allowing the parties and candidates to debate with each other;
- by reporting results and monitoring vote counting;
- by scrutinizing the electoral process itself, including electoral management, in order to evaluate the fairness of the process, its efficiency, and its probity;
- by providing information that, as far as possible, avoids inflammatory language, helping to prevent election-related violence.
Mr Chairman at this juncture the question one may pause to ask is that are the Media the sole source of information for voters? The answer is that the media are not the sole source of information for voters, but in a world dominated by mass communications, it is increasingly the media that determine the political agenda, even in less technologically developed countries.
To quote from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies,
“The media plays a major role in keeping the citizenry abreast of current events and raising awareness of various issues in any society. It also has an extremely significant impact on the public’s views and way of thinking. The media is the primary means through which public opinion is shaped and at times manipulated.”
Mr Chairman if this is the media’s role in the normal course of events, then what about electoral period like we are about to experience?
Elections constitute a big challenge to the media, putting its impartiality and objectivity to the test. The task of the media, especially national media outlets, is not and should not be the mouthpiece for any government body or particular candidate. Its basic role is to enlighten and educate the public and act as a neutral, objective platform for the free debate of all points of view.
Media Ownership (Private Media ) As Media Professionals we should mindful of media owners who would want to use us to promote their selfish political ideologies.
In order to fulfil their roles, the media need to maintain a high level of professionalism, accuracy and impartiality in their coverage.
As Media Practitioners we should avoid Hate Speech. In other words we should not allow hate speeches on our airwaves.
In terms of allocation of time to candidates and Political Parties (We should offer them level ground field)
Balance of News Coverage
As gatekeepers we should be able to determine what to put out there and what not to put out there for the sake of the national interest
Develop good relationship between the Electoral Management Body (by cross checking and verifying our facts before publishing or airing them. We should never attempt to be the declarers of election results
In Conclusion Colleagues let not us behave like some of our Colleagues in Rwanda. Let us prove Ghanaians wrong that we are capable of contributing to peace before, during and after the 2016 general elections.
REFERENCES:
Time Sensitive: Prohibiting government from making statements before election (23 Nov 2015)
Best Practices for Election Coverage Online (28 Jul 2015)
Responsibility for Content on EMB Website (17 Jun 2014)
Election Posters (14 Jun 2014)
Manuals for Election Commission Spokespersons (12 Jun 2014)
Regulations restricting photography and filming inside polling stations (19 Nov 2012)
Online publication of unofficial results on election day (30 Mar 2012)
Selection criteria for candidates’ debates (09 Jan 2012)
By: Adugbire Cletus | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
