OUR RIGHT TO KNOW (SEPTEMBER 10, 2009)

THE power of the media is captured succinctly by Malcolm X when he says, “The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
The media’s role in democratic governance has been acknowledged worldwide, primarily because our people need accurate, fair, unbiased, timely and relevant information in order to participate in national discourse.
In our effort to promote democratic governance, the media, indeed, must be encouraged in their efforts in deepening democracy in the Fourth Republic.
The last elections pushed the whole country to the brink of chaos, primarily because of the irresponsible acts of some media fellows.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, commends the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for providing the platform in Accra yesterday for media practitioners and politicians to assess their role in deepening democracy.
Politicians have also not helped our cause as a nation. Pronouncements on political platforms, which we have all come to accept as “political talk”, where politicians openly castigate one another and inflame tribal sentiments, have been the stock in trade of many of the people who seek our mandate to govern.
Every morning, programmes on radio and television feature politicians and self-acclaimed experts, feeding us with their ignorance, be it on contract law, oil, and gas, marine, economy, energy and any other issue under the sun.
In the end, programmes that ought to inform, educate and offer enlightenment and knowledge poison the atmosphere with half-truths.
Media freedom places upon us a major responsibility to ensure the development of the country. Some have argued for tougher laws to regulate the media landscape but the DAILY GRAPHIC thinks there are enough laws to deal with recalcitrant journalists who flout our codes of ethics with impunity.
Sometimes, as journalists, we need to step back and reflect on our work because the stocktaking will determine whether we should continue with the old ways or make amends for the betterment of society.
The DAILY GRAPHIC cautions against sacrificing our country on the altar of political expediency largely facilitated by gutter journalism that only endangers our society.
Our collective responsibility is to ensure the overall good of our people even as we pursue the multiparty democratic agenda.
For, it will be a tragedy to return to the dark days of the ‘culture of silence’ because journalists have shirked their mandate to exercise the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution with responsibility.
With the right information, the people are empowered to demand accountability from their leaders. The media will thus act as the public watchdog in scrutinising the activities of public office holders, especially our elected leaders.
The media thus holds the key to entrenching good governance in the country, although without other actors such as the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, democracy cannot endure.