NPP leads in use of indecent expressions on radio-Report

The monitoring report of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), showed that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has made most of the indecent expressions in the country.

The report which spanned from June 10 to June 16 indicated that the NPP has made seven out of the 12 indecent expressions with Mr. David Osei, Member of NPP Communication Team making four of the seven indecent pronouncements.

A press statement issued on Thursday by MFWA and copied to the Ghana News Agency said, Kumasi-based Angel FM was the only radio station on which four of the indecent expressions were made while Accra-based Radio Gold followed with three indecent expressions.

The statement said 53 reports were received on the programmes monitored on 30 of the 31 radio stations selected for the project.

It said a total of 12 indecent expressions were recorded on eight programmes on which indecent expressions were captured with six people making 10 of the 12 expressions.

The statement explained that four of them identified with the NPP and the remaining two belonged to the National Democratic Congress.

It said the remaining two of the 12 indecent expressions were rebroadcast on Radio Gold adding that for the week under review, Mr. Daniel Osei of the NPP made four of the 12 indecent expressions recorded followed by Mr. Clearland Abizi of the NDC who made two of them.

“The six people who made the 10 indecent expressions were all males. Also, no gender-specific indecent remark was recorded during the week,” the statement added.

The statement said Mr. Abizi of the NDC made the unpalatable remarks during Ankobra FM’s Breakfast Table programme on June 14, whilst Mr. Maxwell Kofi Dwumah of the NPP was on Oman FM’s National Agenda programme of June 14.

It said Mr. Michael Ampong of the NPP made indecent statements during Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme of June 14, and Mr. Kwasi Kyei also of the NPP on Kessben FM’s Maakye programme of June 11.

The statement said Radio Gold replayed the offensive comment by Mr. Kennedy Agyapong against the Central Regional Minister, Ama Benyiwa Doe during the Newspaper Review segment on the Gold Power Drive aired on June 12.

It said Mr. David Osei of the NPP made four unsubstantiated allegations on Angel FM’s Platform programme of June 11 while Mr. Abizi of the NDC made unconfirmed allegations on Ankobra FM’s Breakfast Table programme aired on June 14.

The statement said Mr. Felix Owusu Kwakye of the NDC made unsubstantiated allegations in an interview on Gold Power Drive on June 12.

It noted that Radio Gold replayed the ethnocentric remarks by Kennedy Agyapong during the Newspaper Review segment on the Gold Power Drive aired on June 12.

The statement said 11 of the 12 indecent expressions were captured during morning and evening and night political discussion programmes on political party activities, corruption and conflicts. .

It said majority of the discussions focused on issues and most of the hosts and presenters handled the various segments of their programmes fairly.

“The MFWA is encouraging the few who were not professional enough, especially in managing their in-studio discussions and interview segments to insist on the use of decent expressions on their respective programmes,” the statement said.

It encouraged producers and hosts of the various programmes to desist from the replay of indecent expressions since it tends to amplify such expressions and their potentially negative consequences.

The statement said the monitoring language use on radio is a project by MFWA with funding from STAR-Ghana, a multi-pooled donor NGO.

The project is aimed at ensuring issues-based and decent language campaigning in this year’s polls. It involves daily monitoring of language and expressions by politicians and activists on specific programmes on 31 selected radio stations across the country.**