MFWA to monitor indecent language, negative political expression

THE Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has introduced an instrument to monitor indecent language and negative political expression on 31 selected radio stations across the country.

The aim of the monitoring instrument is to sanitise the electronic media platform with the view to safeguarding Ghana’s peace and stability in the run-up to the December 2012 general elections.

In line with that, the MFWA, initiators of the project, organised a validation workshop to engage the major stakeholders to commit to the project in the run up to the elections.


Those who participated included officials of the National Media Commission, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Ghana Journalists (GJA) as well as representatives from the four major political parties namely, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention Peoples Party (CPP), and the People’s National Convention (PNC).

The performance targets of the instrument, which was developed in collaboration with communication and language experts across the country, would be published monthly, effective April after the official launch of the project at the end of March, 2012.

The project, which would monitor 31 influential radio stations countrywide, is to avert the situation where political activists take advantage of the electioneering campaigns to malign individuals, with the media becoming the platform for hate speech, insults and use of inciting language.

Radio programme hosts and journalists who failed to meet the mark of professionalism would be named and shamed in a monthly published report across major media networks.

According to the executive director of the MFWA, Professor Kwame Karikari, there was the need to ensure that society does not hinder development through the use of mudslinging of political leadership.

He said that although political  campaigns must have a certain level of language which should be permissible to make them exciting, the trend on impugning persons of individual with disparaging  language ought to be dissuaded.

Professor Karikari announced the recruitment of graduate teachers in communities where selected radio stations operate was underway to ensure an effective  monitoring system.

“Society must not be made to remain stagnant in development due the used of intemperate language against political leaders”, he said.

He expressed regret at the continuos mudslinging and the levelling of frivolous allegations against the personality of the country’s founding fathers.

“What is even more bizarre is that the trend has eaten into internal party politicking structure”, he said.

He expressed the hope that the official introduction of the project in April and subsequent implementation strategies would go to minimise incidents of indecent language on airwaves.

A former editor of The Mirror newspaper, Mr Kwasi Gyan Appenteng, who moderated the programme charged practitioners in the electronic media not to use their studios to propagate falsehoods meant to erupt violence.

The acting director of the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Dr Margarete Ivy Amoakohene, who presented a paper on the instrument and coding guideline urged the media not to encourage politicians into making disparaging statements against opponents.

“Do not consider insults and indecent use of words by political commentators and activists to be the juiciests part of your news stories”, Dr Amoakohene counselled.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Fri March 2, 2012