To help manage emotions, set realistic expectations, and reduce tensions ahead of the December 7 elections, journalists are being urged to prioritize honesty and transparency in their reporting on electoral processes.
While the primary responsibility for preventing violence during the election period rests with security agencies and local authorities, media practitioners play a critical role in educating the public on ways to mitigate violence and support peaceful elections.
Benjamin Alexander Davis, Chairman of the Department of Multimedia Journalism at the School of Global Journalism and Communication, Morgan State University, USA, highlighted these responsibilities during a one-day dialogue for morning show hosts, producers, and presenters of political and current affairs programs.
The program was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa with funding support from the U.S Embassy, Ghana.
“They can’t pull out batons and shields to prevent violence. That is not their job. Their job is to be fair, open, and honest with their audience,” Mr. Davis stated.
He also urged media owners, particularly politically exposed individuals, to separate politics from journalism. “You just can’t love your country only when you are winning. If you are a politician and truly love your country, you will do the right thing, whether you are winning or not,” he said.
Mr. Davis warned against injecting partisan politics into journalism, describing it as a recipe for losing public trust. “Let your journalists come up with the facts; present the facts to the public,” he added.
He emphasized that journalists must seek, attain, and reveal the truth to earn and maintain the trust of the public.
During the training, journalists from media outlets across the five northern regions were equipped with strategies for mediating conflicting views among political actors and panelists on radio and television. The sessions also focused on promoting election integrity, maintaining information hygiene across traditional and digital platforms, and countering inflammatory language, election-related misinformation, and disinformation.
In addition to election reporting, Mr. Davis addressed the growing issue of digital colonialism, where large-scale tech companies extract, analyze, and profit from user data while offering minimal benefits to the data’s source.
He explained that under the guise of altruism, these companies exploit weak data protection laws and their ownership of infrastructure to access untapped resources in Africa. This data is often used for predictive analytics and other purposes, raising concerns about exploitation and the need for stronger regulatory frameworks.
At the training, Director of Media for Peace and Sustainable Development Programme at the Media Foundation for West Africa, Dr. Kojo Impraim, took journalists through the findings from the MFWA’s monitoring reports.
The MFWA is monitoring 30 stations across the country and measuring the use of indecent and intemperate language by show hosts and political discussants. Show hosts are also being monitored on their skill in moderating contentious political conversations and their ability to prevent the use of hate speech.
Dr. Impraim reminded media practitioners of their key role in promoting peace during and after the general election.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1MHz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
