DEMONSTRATE GOOD JUDGEMENT — ISSAHAQ (Daily Graphic, Tuesday,November 11, 2008 PAGE 20)

THE Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Mohammed N. Issahaq, has charged media practitioners in the region to demonstrate good judgement in all issues bordering on the upcoming general election, especially those that have the potential for inflaming passions.
“It is in our own interest to contribute to the entrenchment of democracy and stability in the country as no media institution can thrive in an atmosphere of violence, disorder and lawlessness,” he stressed.
Mr Issahaq, who is also the Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency, gave the advice at a day’s capacity building workshop on election reporting for media practitioners at Bolgatanga.
The Electoral Commission (EC) jointly organised the seminar with KAB Governance Consult with funding from the Netherlands Institute for Multi-party Democracy.
The regional GJA Chairman noted that in societies such as the one Ghana finds itself in, election periods are most delicate moments “but these days, journalists throw all caution to the winds and resort to sensationalism.”
He, therefore, charged media practitioners to be constructive in their reportage in order to sustain the prevailing peace.
“The challenge at the moment is for us to help create a conducive atmosphere for the December 7, 2008 general polls to take place. All we need to do is to demonstrate absolute neutrality and fairness in our dealings with all political parties,” Mr Issahaq stressed.
He identified four key stakeholders, which were critical as far as the forthcoming election was concerned.
They were the EC, political parties, security agencies and the media, adding that most often people were quick to blame the media in the event of any mishap.
“Let us deny the society the opportunity this time round,” Mr Issahaq stressed.
The Director of Training of the EC, Mr Charles O. Addai, said the workshop formed part of a series of programmes lined up by the commission for the various stakeholders aimed at ensuring peaceful and trouble-free election.
He charged the media practitioners to equip themselves with all the relevant electoral processes in order to report more accurately.
Mr Addai also advised the participants to be fair-minded and be proactive in bringing to the electorate useful and timely information that would lead to successful polls.
He cautioned media houses against the practice of announcing or publishing unconfirmed and uncertified results, stressing that all results must be confirmed by the EC before they could be broadcast or published.
Mr Addai stated that as part of measures to ensure that people did not cheat the system, the EC was changing the method of applying the indelible ink.
The Regional Director of the EC, Mr Adams Mahama Iddrisu, said the media played a great role in ensuring successful elections, and as such, the commission found it necessary to engage them in a dialogue to deliberate on what role they could play.
Topics discussed at the forum included the in-built integrity of Ghana’s electoral process and the procedures on polling day, as well as the role of the media.