MFWA bemoans defamation law suits against media houses

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is worried at the rate at which media houses in Ghana are losing defamation cases in court.

It wants to help halt the trend with a special ethic monitoring instrument. Prominent media outlets like Daily Graphic and Daily Guide lost defamation cases recently and were slapped with huge fines by the courts.

The implementation of the project, according to the foundation, is aimed at promoting professional standards and increasing the watchdog role of the Ghanaian media.

Under the project, which is funded by STAR-Ghana, the foundation will be monitoring incidence of ethical violations on 40 Ghanaian media outlets made up of 25 radio stations, 10 newspapers and five news websites.

Stakeholders from the media sector endorsed the Instruments developed by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for monitoring ethical violations in the media.

The instrument was endorsed at a validation meeting organized by the MFWA in Accra on Wednesday.

The Executive Director, Sulemana Briamah, told Strictproof he is hopeful that the instruments will improve media reportage and save many from being sued.