We can’t do away with fake news - National Media Commission

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for a concerted effort to eliminate fake news from the Ghanaian media landscape and the fabric of society.

He said it was great that people no longer had to wait till the following morning to find out what happened the previous day, thanks to technology.

However, the same technology, he indicated, was being used to promote the phenomenon of people manufacturing falsehood and fake stories, which easily passed as news.

“It is not only alarming but also poses a serious threat and danger to the very fabric of society. We must all make a concerted effort to eliminate this phenomenon from our media space,” he stressed.

But Speaking on ‘Fact Sheet’ on eTV Ghana with Samuel Eshun, Chairman for the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo said: “We cannot do away with fake news.”

According to Ayeboafo, Technology is such that anybody who thinks he can pencil people is making a mistake.

“We cannot censor social media. In the countries which have attempted to do that for an instant, there is going to be an election in Tanzania and the information that is coming is that the authorities are blocking social media environment and therefore WhatsApp and other things are not accessible, but for how long can you police the airwave?” he quizzes.

He added that people must take responsibility for whatever information they channel to the public.

“While we think it’s important that we allow people to express themselves in whatever means they use, it is also critical for people to take responsibility for whatever information they put out. So at the end of the day, they contribute towards enlightenment rather than the distraction of society," he said.