Don’t plunge Ghana into chaos in lead-up to polls, GJA warns journos

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has cautioned journalists against plunging the country into chaos in the run-up to the December presidential and parliamentary elections.

In this regard, the president of the GJA, Affail Monney, has admonished media houses to enhance their gatekeeper role.

“With barely 78 days more to Ghana’s election, the Ghana Journalists Association makes a special plea to the media community in general and offending journalists in particular not to take the country to the trajectory of self-destruction,” he said.

“Rather, they must do more to promote the virtue of peace and minimise the threat of violence. To this end, the media must sharpen their gatekeeping skills and deny persons of partisan views who spew violence and heap insults on their opponents access to airtime or print space.”

Apologise … or else

Monney was speaking on Monday (21 September) at the National Peace Forum in Accra to commemorate the International Day of Peace.

The comments by the GJA president come hard on the heels of recent tribal comments against certain Akyems, reposted on social media by the flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama.

Attempts by various personalities and the Akyem youth group to get the NDC and its flagbearer to apologise have proved futile.

The GJA president advised the electronic media in particular to generate content which seeks to preach peace before, during and after the December polls.

He further urged the media to name and shame politicians and their followers who intend to foment trouble with their words and action.

The International Day of Peace is a day set aside by the United Nations to promote the ideals of peace.

This year’s celebration was on the theme “Shaping Peace Together”.

Fred Dzakpata

* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
#asaaseradio  #TVOL