Speaking at a capacity-building training programme for jour­nalists in Accra on Tuesday, he emphasised the need for thor­ough research, fact-checking, and stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced and accurate reporting.

The event was held on the theme: ‘Navigating the Complexi­ties of Social Media: Best Practices for Accurate Energy Reporting,’ and was organised by Energy News Africa Ltd., a news portal dedicat­ed to energy sector developments.

“As journalists, you don’t need to be engineers to report on the ener­gy sector, just as you don’t need to be lawyers to cover court proceed­ings. But you must research, under­stand the economics, and engage the right sources before publishing a story,” he stated.

Mr Blay-Amihere expressed concern over the growing influence of social media in shaping public perception of the energy sector, often through misinformation and political propaganda.

“Today, anyone with a smart­phone can spread news—true or false—without verification. We see headlines like ‘Dumsor is back’ or ‘Power sabotage in Ashanti Region’ without an in-depth understanding of the actual situation,” he said.

He underscored the complex­ity of the energy sector, which involves multiple players, including power generators, transmission companies like GRIDCo, and distributors such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

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“Blaming ECG for power out­ages without considering supply chain challenges, including fuel shortages and gas supply disrup­tions, reflects a lack of understand­ing,” he added.

Editor of Energy News Africa Ltd., Mr Michael Creg Afful, explained that the training pro­gramme aimed to equip journalists with the skills to differentiate between accurate and misleading information.

He noted that improving the quality of energy journalism in Ghana was crucial to ensuring the public receives well-researched and reliable information. He also cautioned against the hasty dis­semination of unverified reports, citing a case involving a purport­ed appointment at the Tema Oil Refinery, which later proved to be false.

“The energy sector is a key decision-making area, and if we, as journalists, fail to equip ourselves with the right knowledge, we risk misinforming the public. For in­stance, tomorrow, the West African Gas Pipeline Company will begin shutting down its facilities in Tema and the Western Region. If there are outages, some might rush to social media to claim that ‘Dumsor’ has returned, without understand­ing the real cause,” he explained.

Highlighting the impact of energy journalism, Mr Afful en­couraged journalists to specialise in specific fields rather than being general reporters. Sharing his personal experience, he stated that his decision to focus on energy re­porting had opened doors for him, including multiple international opportunities.

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The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), Dr River­son Oppong, in his presentation reaffirmed COMAC’s commitment to supporting journalists in their efforts to enhance reporting stan­dards in the energy sector.

He emphasised the need for journalists to uphold ethical re­porting standards, avoid conflicts of interest, and conduct thorough fact-checking using available tools, including artificial intelligence and fact-checking websites.

He also cautioned that repeated incidents of misinformation could erode journalists’ credibility and deter stakeholders from engaging with them.

 BY