THESE PROVERBS DISTORT NEWS (AUGUST 5, 2009)

THE liberalisation of the airwaves in the mid 1990s has helped to deepen citizens’ participation in the decision-making process.
Although the Constitution guarantees the freedom and independence of the media, the airwaves were liberalised after agitation from civil society groups.
It was then argued that the frequency required for the operation of radio or television was a scarce national resource whose use must be regulated by an authority for the good of all.
Media freedom advocates frown on this position, arguing that the Constitution does not empower any authority to infringe on the rights of the citizenry to express themselves without let or hindrance.
This school of thought seeks relief under Article 162 Clause Three which states, “There shall be no impediments to the establishment of private press or media; and in particular, there shall be no law requiring any person to obtain a licence as a prerequisite to the establishment or operation of a newspaper, journal or other media for mass communication or information.”
In view of this, there were running legal battles between the then government and Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby of RADIO EYE fame to get the courts to determine, once and for all, whether the Constitution gives any right to any authority to grant licence to persons wishing to establish radio stations.
But since the government took the decision to liberalise the airwaves, the growth of the sector has been very phenomenal, helping to provide the platform for ordinary persons to participate in national discourse.
Through the power of technology, radio has facilitated two-way communication in which the people are able to provide immediate feedback through text messages and phone-ins. This way, the people have been empowered to demand open and accountable governance from their leaders.
The flip side of the positive attributes of radio is the misuse by some broadcast professionals of the power of the media to inflame passions and create tension in society.
The principles of journalism enjoin us to be accurate, fair, sensitive to the plight of the vulnerable, give right of reply to those aggrieved by our reportage and use our reports to promote national cohesion and integration.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks the initiative by the National Media Commission (NMC) to instil sanity into local language broadcasting in the country is a progressive move.
Many people have expressed concern over the use of proverbs, especially by a section of radio broadcasters, in news broadcasts because proverbs tend to distort reportage.
We associate ourselves with the advice given by the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, during the launch of the guidelines on broadcasting that “the guidelines will deepen the exercise and enjoyment of the right to free expression, particularly for a country with high levels of illiteracy”.
The conduct of media practice is guided by principles and a code of ethics and it is about time media practitioners tried to respect their own code through self-regulation, instead of waiting for external forces to whip them to conform to the norms.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the NMC to use the guidelines to encourage mass participation in the development process by addressing the emerging local language deficiency in broadcasting.