Media not to blame for criticism of EC – Lecturer

The media in Ghana cannot be held liable for the heavy criticisms being levelled at the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana and its Chair, Charlotte Osei, a lecturer at the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, has said.

Madam Osei on Thursday July 14 lamented the negative publicity in the media about the election management body.

She said: “There has been no publication in the media seriously examining the more than 20 reforms which the Electoral Commission is implementing in this year’s election cycle and their consequences on the elections. We have not seen a single report on how the results can actually be compromised or manipulated from an operational perspective, which will now require that the media will call on the EC to resolve those operational gaps that they have identified.”

She added: “…Yet every day, we are inundated with spurious reports in the media of how the EC and the chair of the EC as a person are rigging the election and these comments are reported with extreme speed and glee and it’s just amazing to us.”

But reacting to the comments by the EC boss in an interview with Emefa Apawu, host of Class FM’s news programme 505, Thursday July 14, Dr Opoku Mensah said: “Unfortunately I don’t [agree]. I share a different opinion.”

He explained: “The media provides the platform and if you look at the various criticisms that the EC, particularly, Madam Charlotte Osei, has suffered, [they are] comments that have come from civil society and political parties. Of course, people have made those comments on the media platforms but the media cannot be held responsible…”

He stressed: “The EC also has the same platform to defend itself …they have every opportunity to come back to the same space to provide the relevant answers to help the citizens.”