Create level playing field for parties - GII urges media

The Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, has called on media practitioners to create a level playing field for all the contesting political parties.

That, she said, required of journalists to be fair and objective in their reportage regarding the December general election.

Article 55 (11) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana provides that the state makes the effort to ensure that all political parties have equal access to state media to present their plans and programmes to the populace.

Training workshop

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo made the call at the opening session of a training workshop in Accra  organised by the GII for journalists and sponsored by the Global Affairs Canada, the department of the Government of Canada that manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, and also leads Canada’s international development and humanitarian assistance.

The two-day workshop seeks to enhance the skills of the participants to facilitate the GII’s national monitoring exercise on ‘Abuse of Incumbency and Electoral Corruption before and during the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections’.

The exercise would collate and document observed incidences of electoral corruption and incumbency abuse.

Neutrality

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo tasked journalists to demonstrate neutrality, adhere to ethics of the journalistic profession devoid of political biases and pursuance of personal interests, but work to help strengthen the country’s democratic dispensation.

She stressed the need for journalists to be apolitical in the discharge of their duties.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo indicated that the GII, based on the documented report, would be making recommendations to key stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission (EC), political parties, as well as other institutions charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption in Ghana.

Findings from the monitoring exercise, she said, would also be published as a means of naming and shaming perpetrators of electoral corruption.

Since the 2012 national elections, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have monitored national elections with the aim to promoting a more level political playing field by reducing incumbency abuse and electoral corruption in Ghana’s electoral processes.

Cross-check

The Executive Director for Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), Mr Francis Ameyibor, asked journalists to always cross check their facts before publishing any news item in relation to this year’s elections.

He cautioned journalists to be wary of false reportage since that could create unnecessary tension before and during the polls.

He observed that the environment for political campaigns had changed as political parties had adopted more sophisticated approaches in their campaign activities.

In view of that, Mr Ameyibor said the onus lied on the media as information gatekeepers to do thorough research in relation to news items they received to enhance the success of the 2020 election. - GNA