But to do so, we must be standing on solid ground, ground not tainted by corruption and irresponsibility. And we must not be standing in concrete; we should be bright and bold enough to admit that we do make mistakes and to work towards the day when we can deliver information to the American people in more accurate and more understandable way, Robbert S. McLord, Editor, Arkansas Democrat.
On March 25, 2001, General Collin Powell noted among other things that “American hometown papers, whether large or small, chronicle the daily life of our nation, of our people. Put it all together and community newspapers do not just tell the story of American freedom, they are the story”.
Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, in reflecting upon the events of September 11, 2001, noted that journalism is no easy task at the best of times, but just occasionally, there are moments where journalists and media are confronted with a story so big that it tests their notion of professionalism to the limit.
It appears that the Ghanaian media have been confronted with an event which has challenged their professionalism and sense of ethics. The decision by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, in particular to challenge Prof. John Evans Atta Mills for the flagbearship of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2012 general election has dazed some journalists, energised others and traumatised many.
In their state of perplexity, some of the journalists are venting their spleen on their colleagues, who discuss the issues and proffer any viewpoint which they perceive to be against the interest of Prof. Mills.
In some instances, journalists and media personnel in offering their viewpoints have attempted to suggest that anyone whose analysis goes against the position of Prof. Mills is a lunatic or idiot and must be silenced, at all cost.
I have personally been lambasted and lampooned by Radio Gold and indeed, in the case of The Informer newspaper, not only have I been subjected to baseless abuse and defamation, I have even been threatened to stay away from the NDC “so that you do not bring any calamity unto yourself, period!!!”.
The arrogance and hubris of an editor, warning and threatening a citizen for merely offering a viewpoint on a matter of public interest can only come from people who do not have a cause to promote. You do not have to threaten any citizen who pursues his interests and concerns through civil and legitimate means, for as it has been argued, “a good argument has no need for a loud voice”. Therefore, when the chips are down, the National Media Commission (NMC) would be involved.
As our elders maintain, for as long as one lives, the head would carry a hat. As a journalist steeped in the respect for free and responsible use of the media, I will not rush to the courts to assert my dignity, I will only act to give meaning and respect to the NMC, in the hope that those animated by their lack of decorum in appreciating my fundamental right would be principled enough to respect the decision of the Commission whenever the matter comes up.
It is most unfortunate that at the end of its tenure, the first NMC counted among its failures, the refusal of journalists to be responsible, after they had accepted to have acted unprofessionally and irresponsibly.
The present NMC has bemoaned the lack of professionalism displayed by some journalists. For the Chairman in particular, Mr.Kabra Blay Amihere, the greatest threat to journalism in the country today is the irresponsibility, unprofessionalism and lack of decorum on the part of some journalists.
At a seminar organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (lEA) last October, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso of the Legon Centre for International Affairs indicted the media by submitting that “in Ghana today, the media has arrogated to itself the right to create what I call dichotomisation syndrome, where every public discourse is shaped by idiosyncrasies of the two leading political parties in the country…
“ …The media has virtually ceased to be the custodian of the social compact, they have ceased to be the information conduit and have forgotten their roles as the distillers of public opinion and directors of the road to public choice.
“They are themselves intemperate and seem more comfortable with sensationalism, intrigues and at times insipid lies. In such setting, political tolerance and accommodation is lost and the rule of law is thrown to the wind”.
We all need to be reminded of the provisions of the 1992 Constitution, which enjoin the media to hold the government accountable to the people, as well as the Political Parties Law which enjoins political parties to conduct their internal affairs in tune with the tenets of democratic principles.
Therefore, where our governments and parties act in ways that contradict the law, we all have the obligation and responsibility to point these out, irrespective of which parties we support or belong to. Thus; whether we belong to the NDC or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) we have an obligation to ensure that all of them conduct their affairs in open and transparent manner. There is no outsider in this.
Again, as Dr Antwi Danso noted, “The guardian of the social compact; the medium through which the tenets of the social compact is disseminated; the vessel which carries socio-political divides, the mixer which ferments and distils public choice, the teacher who informs, educates and directs public discourse is the media.”
In a country where as political parties, governments, presidents and the people pledge their commitment to openness and transparency, where we preach tolerance, decorum, mutual respect and trust, we should be wary of the use of acerbic, inflammatory and hate speech. We must avoid insults and abuse, we all have to be civil and temperate in our use of language.
But for those who think they have godfathers in government could do whatever pleases them irrespective of best practices, ethics and professionalism, I can only say “ka hyen koduru, na emma esum nto wok wan mu.”
Source: Daily Graphic
Excerpt from:
Feature: Looking from within