| The National Media Commission (NMC) has warned radio broadcast stations to use the airwaves judiciously as the nation draws closer to the elections or face sanctions.
According to the Commission, the airwaves were public property that must be used equitably, adding that when misused by journalists, their broadcast license would be withdrawn.
This was contained in a document put together by the NMC on ‘Guidelines for Political Journalism’.
It was stated in the draft copy that apart from the normal coverage of political activities, including campaigns, broadcasting stations might carry free political broadcast for each registered party.
During a presentation by Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo at a one-day validation workshop on ‘Guidelines for Political Journalism’ in Accra, she said the guidelines were developed in response to demands from media practitioners and other stakeholders for the replacement of the Commission’s guidelines for political reporting with principles that encompassed the broadened spectrum of journalistic enterprise beyond reporting.
Prof. Gadzekpo said political journalism should aim at engendering public debate. “This may best be done by collecting and disseminating truthful, unbiased information on the activities of political parties and candidates to the public and in turn offering opportunity for the public to express their views on the parties, candidates and their programmes,” she added.
She said peace was the bedrock of progress and development, stressing that “in covering politics, the media must endeavour to identify the critical issues that can trigger conflict and encourage dispassionate discussion.”
Such issues, she said, might include questions of marginalization and identity politics based on religion and ethnicity.
Prof. Gadzekpo said views that had the potential to promote violent conflicts, especially relating to political, social, cultural, racial, ethnicity and religious sensibility, should be handled with great sensitivity.
She said media practitioners, particularly those who worked in the state-owned media, must avoid engaging in direct politics since it might jeopardize their credibility and integrity.
Prof. Gadzekpo said media practitioners, irrespective of political party affiliations and beliefs, should remain impartial in their dealings with political parties, and in particular should be guided by the Code of Ethics of the Ghana Journalists Associations (GJA).
She advised journalists to refrain from accepting offers of money and other such inducements as it might compromise their integrity and professionalism. |
