To this end, she has challenged media practitioners to ensure a free election as that would be important for blocks building for a democratic development.   Speaking at a day's training for media practitioners and security persons for the December 7 general election in Accra on Tuesday, Madam Kuma said accountability was also one of the cardinal principles of democracy and charged the two parties especially media practitioners to ensure that the 2016 election were based on accountability.

The training on electoral laws, which was organised by AWLA aimed at enhancing the knowledge of laws of media practitioners that would be applicable on the voting day.    "Our engagement today also aims at preparing our media men and women on their responsibilities that they must adhere to on the voting day," she said. Madam Kuma noted that the training would also enhance the election policing and reduce any form of election brutality meted out to voters by security agency personnel.

Touching on the role of the media, the Executive Director of AWLA stated that it behooves the media to educate voters on how to exercise their democratic rights.  "By providing a platform for the public to communicate their concerns, opinions, and needs, to the parties and candidates, the government and to other voters and to interact on these issues is another role expected of the media in the upcoming elections,” she said.

She added that the scrutinising of the electoral process, including electoral management, in order to evaluate the fairness of the process, its efficiency, as well as its probity also needed to be part of the media's activities in ensuring credible elections.Reviewing the role of the media's reportage in the 2012 election, Madam Kuma observed that some media houses reported on perceptions as facts.

"Allegations on the field were generalised and this created… tension, which led to the Electoral Commission(EC) office being vandalised,” she said.  Madam Kuma therefore urged media practitioners to importantly report words and events in a clear and unambiguous manner since journalists have a larger responsibility to report accurately and in the right context.  "The media must give accurate and balanced reportage of occurrences substantiated by facts and figures.

"The media must also be circumspect in the use of electoral language like an irregularity and ragging and refrain from posing as members of the EC or make any false representation with the aim of getting information," she advised.  Madam Efiba Amihere, a Private Legal Practitioner, educated the two parties on the 1992 Constitution, EC Act, Representation of the People's Act and CI 75 and 91.

Some participants who spoke to the Ghana News Agency said the training was timely and their knowledge had been broaden extensively on the various laws in the country especially with the CI 75 and 91 and it would help them in their report in the upcoming election.

Others lauded AWLA for the initiative that sought to promote and project Ghana's election wholly and called on them to make it a frequent engagement and not only during election times.   The training which was funded by STAR-Ghana brought together more than 50 media and security personnel to upgrade themselves towards the upcoming elections.