The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has equipped journalists in the Ashanti Region with the skills required to effectively and efficiently cover the December 7 elections, urging them to avoid allowing themselves and their platforms to be used as weapons to disrupt Ghana’s peace and democracy.
During a two-day workshop, 25 journalists from various media stations were trained on “Countering Hate Speech and Polarising Narratives to Foster Democratic Consolidation and Peace in Ghana.” This initiative is part of a broader effort to safeguard the country’s democratic stability ahead of the upcoming elections.
The Ashanti Regional Executive Secretary of the Peace Council, Rev. Emmanuel Badu Amoah, emphasised the urgent need for a zero-tolerance policy towards politicians who use the media to disseminate hate speech.
He indicated that, while Ghana’s democracy had seen significant milestones in the past 32 years; hate speech and indecent language have also become negative tools eroding the gains chalked.
Rev. Badu Amoah, however, sent a word of caution insisting, “If anyone wants to come to power and their aim is to destroy institutions, they are not ready for democracy because democracy is held together by the institutional strength of governance structures.”
An Academic and Peacebuilding Expert at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Kaderi Noagah Bukari, highlighted the importance of responsible reporting in national peacebuilding and counter-terrorism efforts, especially given the threats from violent extremism in the Sahel region.
He educated journalists on the conditions that fuel ethnic, political, and transborder conflicts.
Senior Programmes Officer at MFWA, Kwaku Krobea Asante, trained journalists on handling information disorder and the role of fact-checking in combatting the spread of false information, emphasizing the critical role of the media during election periods.
He mentioned, “How we cover issues, report, or bring information to the public plays a role in how people appreciate the issues; whether we create fear and panic, especially towards elections, it has a direct impact on the electoral process and the trust in the electoral outcomes.”
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