Political parties must declare policy of decency in their communication - MFWA

Accra, July 29, GNA - Professor Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has called on political parties to declare a policy of decent and civilized communication in public, especially on radio and television. He said even though the broadcasting sector had contributed to advancing Ghana's democracy, the increasing misuse of the airways by political functionaries and journalists not adhering to professionalism, ultimately led to the undermining of the good contributions.

Mr Karkari said this during a press conference in Accra on Friday to express the dismay at the alarming increase in the use of indecent language, false allegations, false alarm, insulting expressions and blatant lies in the media, especially radio and television. "The right to free speech and media freedom are coming under threat by Radio and Television commentators, political functionaries and public office holders who respect no ethical principles and manners in their public utterances," he added. He said reckless statements designed to score worthless and backward political points were made with excitement, while political party activists revel in character assassination and impugning the reputation of leading personalities in opposing parties. Mr Karkari said this injurious manner of conducting public discussions had become so cynical that it was debasing internal party relations, adding that internal party differences and contests were handled through false allegations, verbal brawls, defamation campaigns and marketing of rumours. He said the MFWA was concerned because the practice nurtured ignorance, made citizens to be easily manipulated and served as a cover for intolerance.

He recommended that media owners and managers should show greater sense of professionalism and ethical sensibility and that the National Media Commission and the National Communication Authority should enforce their regulatory mandates and come out with ways to improve standards and decency. In addition, government must speed up the processes of the broadcast law, while presidential candidates must declare a ban on indecent and violent language in their campaigns. Prof. Karikari said the Association of Advertisers should establish mechanisms of demanding high standards and ethics and stop patronizing stations that propagated indecent language. He called on the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association to work on and enforce self-regulatory mechanisms in the media industry. Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, called on all to support in eliminating the practice, since the media plays the watch dog role in the society.