Advancing the Media in Ghana

2009 Global Press Freedom Day
News Commentary for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Every May 3rd is observed as World Press Freedom Day. It is a day set aside by UNESCO to celebrate journalism, to reflect while calling the world’s attention to the key issues facing the profession. This year’s celebration is under the theme, “Media, Dialogue, Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation.” This theme stresses the enormous potential of the media in providing a platform to dialogue and foster mutual understanding and reconciliation in society. On the flip side, the theme underscores the other potential of the media – to cause harm through irresponsible practice by dividing society and inflaming passions instead of being the glue that can keep society together.

Not surprisingly, this year’s World Press Freedom Prize is to be awarded posthumously to the Sri Lankan Journalist, Lasantha Wickremantunge, for his notable contributions in the defence of freedom of expression in his war-torn country. Although he paid the ultimate prize with his life in January 2008 for what he believed in, even in death, he stood tall. In an article published three days after he had been gunned down by government forces, he predicted his death while defending the profession of journalism. For him, journalism “is the call of conscience.”

Without a doubt, journalism in Ghana won a great battle in getting out of under the thumbs of various political regimes who granted the media limited freedoms. Then came the 1992 Constitution with enshrined freedoms of expression to the citizenry and of press freedom. The task now is how to grow the media alongside the development of Ghana.

The image of Ghana is that of a beacon of stability in a region characterized by chaos, unrests, wars and senseless bloodshed. Ghana has survived in the midst of failed states. The Ghanaian media is in no doubt, a pace-setter on the African continent. In the 2008 Global Press Freedom Rankings, Ghana placed second after Mauritania in Sub-Saharan Africa and 27th in the world.

Despite the apparent presence of freedom for the media, problems persist. Freedom does not solve all problems. The just-ended General Elections exposed the vulnerabilities of our democracy with an unrestrained vibrant liberal media and a weak regulatory institution. During the heat of the elections that was characterised by irresponsible volatile commentaries, rumours and media wars between FM radio stations with political party allegiances and/or ownerships, the National Media Commission appeared helpless.

In the 100-day Rwanda genocide in 1994, an estimated 800,000 minority Tutsis were massacred by Hutu militia. It was later established that intolerant FM radio stations were the major tool used to ignite and fan the flames for social tension. However, when it mattered the most during our election crisis, Ghana did not appear to have learned the lesson of Rwanda. National cohesion and survival was not paramount.

On the surface, this country appears to have moved on from the election tension. But beneath the surface, ethnic tension, which is sharpened by political party allegiance, is apparent. The media can play an important role in promoting mutual understanding among different ethnic groups and through that, enhance the chances of reconciliation and cohesion, which are fundamental needs for national development.

In present-day Ghana, journalists are not running away for dear life. Together with the rest of the citizenry through a liberal media with its characteristic call-in radio shows, the mass media are wallowing in the hard-earned freedom. Freedom of expression for society and press freedom for the media as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution should provide opportunities for the media to shift focus on pressing developmental issues.

However, the focus of journalism and the citizenry appear to be stuck in politics. Reviewing media content does not suggest that ours is a developing country in which many live on less than one Ghana cedi a day.

Journalism can provide the leadership and focus on urgent developmental issues as a way of advancing not just the democracy of Ghana but its social development. It can do this by relentlessly keeping the searchlight on developmental challenges like poverty, corruption, sanitation, environmental pollution, indiscipline, education, roads, healthcare and inequities in the distribution of development projects.

There is also the need for tolerance and an inclusive coverage of all segments of society and different shades of opinions and values. The media should at this time, shift the focus of reportage from the minority urban, elite and privileged and to throw its powerful searchlight on the poor, disenfranchised, rural, peri-urban and non-literate majority. The best journalism is one that is not driven by agenda that is set by news sources, especially that of the privileged political elite. The media must therefore be bold to pursue and set an agenda that benefits society.

Through FM radio, local language broadcasting is flourishing. It is a new phenomenon in the Ghanaian media landscape. Unfortunately, it is characterized by exaggerations, proverbs and distortions of news through translations and commentaries. The danger in the extremities of local language broadcasting lies in the tendency for embellishment, misinformation and irresponsibility.

Worst of all, Ghana’s media play into the polarization of our society along political party lines. Unfortunately, it is easy to identify some journalists and media houses as either NPP or NDC, an echo of the poisonous polarization of our country on political party lines. This is a situation that can potentially get in the way of basic journalistic standards of objectivity, accuracy, fairness and ethics.

Owing to its power, if practiced inappropriately, the mass media can potentially become a security risk and by that, a threat to our democracy.