Hohoe, Nov 25, GNA - Professor Audrey Gadzekpo of the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, has asked the media to ward-off interference and inducements from political actors in the run-up to the December general elections and beyond.
She urged media professionals and managers to accord fair opportunity to all parties contesting the elections and set issue-based agenda to guide publics to make informed decision.
Prof Gadzekpo made the remark when she addressed the Gbi Traditional Council meeting last Thursday.
She said the time had come again for media professionals to demonstrate the highest journalistic standards in order to chart an issue-base and incident-free election, urging the media to “avoid making their good work become undone through negligence and partisanship.”
Prof Gadzekpo said she expected the coverage of the upcoming elections to be an improvement over that of 2008 general elections, which registered some professional deficiencies including unexplained and complex processes, turning rumours into facts and un-qualification of provisional results.
She said multiplicity of radio stations and the inability to monitor their operations towards the build-up to the election, media ownership by politicians and the absence of broadcast law constitutes some of the challenges of the National Media Commission, Ghana Journalists Association and the Media Foundation for West Africa.
She praised the Lorlornyo FM, a Hohoe-based radio station and others for maintaining the ethical standards and not allowing their mediums to be used as a platform to propel hate-speech and instigate violence.
Togbega Gabusu, Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area, said the forum was to create awareness on the impending elections among stakeholders and tighten all loose joints towards making the elections a master-piece once more.
He said the seemingly heightening of political tension would be abated when candidates continued to preach peace and assured their supporters that the contest was about supremacy of ideas and not hostilities.
Togbega appealed to political parties to prevail on minors, who found their names onto the biometric electoral register not to visit the polling station on voting day since their conduct was a recipe for violence.
Mr Francis Dusey, Hohoe Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), appealed to registered voters to come out massive to exercise their franchise on Election Day.
He appealed to the voting public to guard against exchanging their voting sovereignty for temporary benefits.
Representatives of the Electoral Commission and the Police pledged their neutrality and discharge the task with professionalism, fairness and in transparent manner.
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