There is no doubt that when it comes to ensuring peaceful election, the media as the Fourth Estate of the Realm has a major role to play. The success of every election therefore depends largely on the Journalist. That is why it is incumbent upon every Ghanaian Journalist to ensure that the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections come through without any problem.
Ghana is largely regarded as the beacon of hope when it comes to democracy in Africa and cannot afford to lose its credibility. There is the need for every Ghanaian especially the Journalist to ensure that Ghana improves upon its democratic credentials which had gained the highest recognition in both the local front and in the international community. It is very important for all stakeholders including journalists, the security agencies and the leadership of the various political parties to play their respective roles very well to bring about peace before, during and after the impending elections.
To contribute its quota in ensuring that the forthcoming election is peaceful, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) which provides a solid platform for communicating information to and from the people and ensuring fast, accurate, and reliable news to subscribers across the globe recently trained its reporters and stringers across the ten regions of the country. The main focus of the training programme was to enhance transparent, fair, free and peaceful coverage of the impending elections, as well as contribute to a smooth transition to the next administration. It was also to promote the dissemination of truthful unbiased political and electoral news to both print and electronic media as well as other subscribers, improve the capacity of regional, and district editorial staff as well as part-time reporters (stringers) who serve as news gathering links between the headquarters, and local communities.
This is important because it would help them to report in ways that would support the electoral process and to provide nationwide coverage on activities of STAR-Ghana Grant Partners which sponsored the training programme. The programme took participants through topics such as the role of the media in elections; Hate Speech; creating awareness on how to uncover and deal with hidden prejudices, stereotypes and misconceptions; and Approaches to a responsible use of content and language.
Other topics were: Developing ethical guidelines based on guidelines on election reporting as spelled out by the National Media Commission (NMC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and GIBA; Exploring the potentials of different media formats as carriers of cross-cultural messages and mediation; andBuilding Editorial Accountability to reflect the checklist of what journalists and stringers . It also taught participants how to design the planning and production of articles, stories, news pieces, and encouraged journalists to incorporate skills from the workshop in their daily news coverage work.
Sharing his experience in the coverage of elections, Mr Edward Ameyibor, a former Supervising Chief Editor of the GNA and one of the facilitators of the workshop, said reporters did not have the mandate to declare election results by describing it as "stolen verdict or rigged", but that it was only the EC which was mandated by the constitution to do so. He sounded a warning to Journalists to desist from speculation and conjecture, and it is important that as Journalists we must take heed of the tenets of election coverage to help make the forthcoming general election a successful one and also to avoid causing trouble and marring the whole electoral process.
"You should always contact the EC, International Observers and Local Observers like the CODEO on their views of suspected fraudulent electoral acts and intimidations so as to have their opinions when reporting on electoral issues," he said. It is therefore very crucial for all Journalists both in print and electronic Media to let this be a guide to them in the coverage of the forthcoming general elections.
Knowing the names and the number of candidates contesting the elections, their backgrounds, the number of polling stations and where they are located, and identifying trouble spots through self initiative and from police sources were also emphasized by the former Supervising Chief Editor. The need for Journalists to avoid sitting in "Party Vans", or a party Chairman's vehicle during election coverage and also the need for Journalists to avoid cheapening themselves to politicians by collecting party T-Shirts and sharing them to family members was also emphasised.
The participants were schooled on the importance of giving equal access to all political parties when reporting on the forthcoming elections so as to avoid being cited for unfairness by others which may degenerate into tension and conflict. Journalists were also urged to acquire accreditation, introduce ourselves to Presiding and Returning Officers, as well as the security agencies at polling stations on the Election Day to avoid being harassed and embarrassed.
They were also advised to obtain work tools that would facilitate communication, such as lap-tops, mobile phones, recorders, and cameras among other gadgets, and to ensure that they are tested before setting off to the field. A point of interest was for journalists to take the initiative to speak to people like the visually impaired and the aged present at the polling stations in order to make their stories more colourful and all-inclusive. Visiting the polling stations during afternoon to report proceedings at that time as well as following up in the evening to look for further developments were also emphasised. When the collation of results starts it is important for journalists to state in their reports that the results are provisional, and to do a follow up when the EC officials declare the final result.
Mr Alex Lantey Lawson, a former head of the GNA Home News Desk and also a resource person at the workshop, stressed the need for a national plan on election coverage particularly in the area of logistics and transportation. The management of Media Houses should ensure that adequate logistics are provided to empower Journalists to do effective coverage during the impending national exercise, he said. Undoubtedly, the training workshops organised in Swedru, Ho, Tamale and Sunyani, and which Journalists and Stringers from GNA offices in all the nation's 10 Regions will impact positively on their reportage during the impending elections.
At the opening ceremony of the Tamale workshop which brought together participants from the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr Sam Nasamu Asabigi observed that in the local communities there were some opinion leaders who always wanted to be recognized in society by engaging in conflicts. He indicated that for such people they feel important when there is conflict and will create conflict to gain recognition. Hence, the media practitioners should be watchful about such people.
The Minister tasked the media personnel to constantly educate the public about the importance of peaceful coexistence so that Ghana will continue to be a beacon of hope for Africa. "We cannot have the situation like that of Ivory Coast, Mogadishu, Somalia here in Ghana", he empahsised, and commended GNA for carrying out responsible reportage always. "We have never had problems with the GNA", he said, adding that the Ghana News Agency has remained relevant over the years because of its speed, accuracy and objectivity. Journalists of the Agency need to work hard to uphold that credibility the Agency has carved for itself over the years.