Media prepares ahead of election verdict

Dr Messan Mawugbe, Managing Consultant of Centre for Media Analysis (CMA), has taken media personnel through the outcome of research findings conducted on how the Ghanaian media reported on the election 2012 petition in the Supreme Court (SC) proceedings.

He said since the media had become effective conduit for political, social, economic and cultural energy transfers it was imperative to share the research findings which serve as pointers for further deliberations and amends.

Dr Mawugbe who said this at the second media forum organized by CMA and the Centre for African Elections Media Monitoring Index at the 2nd Media and Democracy forum on Tuesday, added that if those transfers were managed effectively it could bring about peace,unity growth and development.

The forum was on the theme: “Strengthening Ghana’s Peace and Democracy: the Role of the Media through coverage.”

He said the media plays enormous role in the process of ethical news selection and distribution of the 2012 election petition as custodians of peace, hence, the need for the forum to identify its shortfalls and sensitizing role ahead of the SC final verdict.

Generally, he said, the Ghanaian media performed credibly well in managing sensationalism in editorial and feature articles, public anxiety, partisanship reportage, pre-judgement, national peace sensitization and maintaining media trust.

Both petitioners and respondents pre-judgement issues on verdict were very well managed and thus contributing to the current relative peace and stability, he said.

However, Dr Mawugbe said Ghanaian media personnel needed to work on improving sensationalism of the content of news stories, clarity of language terminologies and lack of background to news stories.

On the basis of analysis, 1,608 stories on the election SC petitions in 37 newspapers were monitored from April 16 to June 27.

Source: GNA