Lecturer calls for Media Policy on Disaster Coverage

Dr Etse Sikanku, a lecturer at the Department of Communications Studies of the University of Ghana, advocated the formulation of a media policy to guide journalists on disaster coverage.

He said the Ghanaian media in reporting disasters had failed to respect the dignity of victims and still showed gory pictures in the media, which were against the ethics of the profession.

Dr Sikanku was presenting the findings of a study he led to analyse how the media reported the June 3 flood and fire disaster, which hit the city of Accra, killed hundreds of people, and destroyed property running into millions of cedis.

The meeting was on the theme “Breaking News and Disaster Coverage in Ghana”.

The study did a content analysis of the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide newspapers. It examined the attention given to the issue, major frames, sources, and ethical issues regarding representation of such public disasters.

It was organised by the Economy of Ghana Network of the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research of the University of Ghana.

Dr Sikanku explained that though the oversight institutions like the Media Commission and the Ghana Journalists Association had code of ethics, they were silent on disaster coverage.

He said: “There is the need for these institutions to conduct capacity training for journalists on how to cover disasters should they occur”.

He expressed worry about the current use of social media and called for rules and guidelines to guide its use, including what to post on social media.

Dr Sikanku called for strict enforcement of the code of ethics of the media profession and urged media houses to ensure stringent gate keeping rules, and provide safety measures for journalists who cover disasters.

Dr Messan Manwugbe, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre of Media Analysis, commended the research team and reiterated the need to have a media policy that would guide media coverage on disasters.

He also called on the GJA and NMC to ensure that the codes of ethics were fervently adhered to, whilst continuous capacity training were organised for the media, in various disciplines, including disasters and children.