By: Kobina Baidoo
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), and its stakeholders have called on the media to censor all news purported to enrage political fanatics ahead of the 2024 General elections in Ghana.
The media was addressed by the NCCE on Monday, May 20, 2024 at their Head Office of in Accra following the roll out of the Inter-Party Dialogue Committees (IPDC) from the district to the regional division in Ghana, to mitigate violence and promote peace ahead of the imminent elections.
Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy, described the media as a key role player in maintaining Ghana’s peace and stability. She emphasized the media’s ability to detect and block fake news and all others irrelevant to building Ghana peacefully. “Before you broadcast anything, verify crosscheck and ensure that it is ethically sound do everything to avoid fake news; don’t give oxygen to fake news.” She said.
She hereby urged the media to desist from hosting, purporting, or airing content that has direct impact on the image of respective political parties in Ghana. “The media needs to consciously prevent political actors by not giving them the space to engage in these activities.”
She termed these acts condoned by the media as a common trigger to the various disputes that occur between political party supporters, especially before the elections. “Do not allow your platforms to be used by political actors to hurl insults, intemperate language and violent words at each other.”
Fake news is one of the key themes the National Commission for Civic Education has identified. The rest are ‘Monetization of Ghanaian Politics: The rise in demand against supply, ‘Election Violence’ and Religious Intolerance.
The Inter-Party Dialogue Committees (IPDC) serve as a unifying body to ensure peace and promote dialogue among political parties during electoral processes. The theme for the Inter-Party Dialogue Committees (IPDC) ahead of this year’s elections, ‘Together We can Build Ghana: So Get Involved.’ is a beckoning to all Ghanaians to accept the mandate in building Ghana and sustaining peace and peaceful coexistence.
