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Media must uphold professional standards in 2016 - NMC

NMC Chairman, Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng further raised concerns about some media practices on-going within the country.

 

The National Media Commission (NMC) has charged media practitioners to be professional in the line of duty in 2016.

A statement signed by the chairman of the Commission, Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng pointed out that 2016 is an election year and the media must thus be aware of its “unique responsibility for ensuring that the country went through all the phases of the general election peacefully and in a manner that would enhance free and fair polls.”

The chairman further raised concerns about some media practices on-going within the country.

He said although the Commission is proud of the role the media plays in national development, “we also have to concede that there are worrying trends in the work and conduct of media business that are of concern to the NMC and the nation as a whole. In recent times, the NMC has had occasion to call attention to some shortcomings that tend to undermine the media’s healthy contributions to nation building.”

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The NMC said professionalism was what was required for the media to achieve those noble outcomes.

“Professionalism means checking facts, correcting mistakes at the first opportunity, and providing access to all sides involved in any issue within the media landscape”.

The Commission thus called on Ghanaians to respect and protect the freedom and independence of the media because they constitute the bedrock of the many other freedoms that the people enjoyed in the country’s democratic dispensation.

In this regard, the NMC advised Ghanaians to desist from causing any violence or intimidation against journalists, media workers and media institutions and urged people who have any grievances against the media to come to the Commission for possible redress.

“It is our hope that the year 2016 will be a year in which we experience greater media responsibility and reciprocal appreciation of the media by the public it serves”, the statement said.

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The statement however mentioned it is noteworthy that Ghana currently ranks high on the list of countries that enjoy the free media in Africa and the world, adding that “certainly Ghanaians are enjoying the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and an unfettered media. This is a national attribute that must be celebrated and preserved.”

It said by and large, the Ghanaian media and journalists were contributing in a solid way towards the country’s economic, social, cultural and political development through educating, informing and entertaining the nation.

The media, it added, also sets the agenda for the public sphere, which in turn determines the content and conduct of policy discussions, debates and eventual choices.

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