The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has stated that media platforms are not marketplaces for insults or the propagation of hate speech but for the exchange of ideas.
He has, therefore, urged practitioners to practice the media profession in a decorous manner.
Mr Dwumfour gave the advice at a joint press conference by the GJA, GIBA and PRINPAG at the Press Center on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 following the attack on a sister station and some journalists while on duty.
Speaking at the Press Conference, Mr Dwumfour condemned the attacks on the media house and the individual victims.
However, he was of the view that no media platform, be it traditional or virtual, has the right to infringe on the rights of any person or seek to malign, disrespect or tarnish the image and integrity of a person.
“We recognise that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy, as such our duty as media practitioners is to seek the truth always and provide a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues through thoroughness and honesty,” he said.
He continued that, “Much is expected of the media in carrying out our role as watchdogs of society and this should be undertaken with a high sense of integrity without infringing on the rights of individuals and the society in general.”
Mr Dwumfour cautioned all media practitioners and media organisations to prioritise their security and desist from engaging in excesses or allowing their platforms to be used to fan activities that tend to lead to the breach of the peace that Ghana needs for its socio-economic development.
“We wish to remind all media practitioners that media freedoms come with responsibilities. The framers of the 1992 Constitution for good reason included the responsibilities of the media in the same Chapter 12 enjoining all media practitioners to be reasonable in practicing the profession in the interest of national security, public order, public morality and for the purpose of protecting the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons,” he stated.
The GJA President also stated, “This therefore implies that no media platform, be it traditional or virtual, has the right to infringe on the rights of any person or seek to malign, disrespect or tarnish the image and integrity of a person.”
He believed that there were more refined ways of expressing an opinion or disagreement without resorting to the use of insulting and degrading language on our platforms or allowing ourselves to be used to propagate such unpleasantries.
“The GJA Code of Ethics, the GIBA Code of Conduct, and other rules and regulations clearly provide direction on how to practice the media profession in a decorous manner. In conclusion, our media platforms are not marketplaces for insults or the propagation of hate speech but for the exchange of ideas,” he stressed.
