The Chairperson of the National Peace Council, Most Reverend Emmanuel Asante has called on the media to desist from publishing and reporting stories that will jeopardize the peace of the country.
Speaking at the National Forum on Media and Peaceful Elections in Ghana, Rev. Asante urged the media to stick to its responsibility of educating the public on their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
He also said the media should not compromise on their gatekeeping role to ensure that powerful people are held in check.
“We do not want journalists who will be motivated by ethnic or political interests. Sensationalism is what I am driving at, I want to believe that this particular forum will ginger our minds to understand and to see the role the media has to play, especially in the 2020 general elections.”
“Let us ensure that we do not do anything that will comprise the peace we enjoy,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Ghana Journalist Association, Linda Asante-Adjei has called on various political parties and actors to avoid torturing journalists in their line of work.
“We call on political actors to take their hands of our journalists. An attack on a journalist is an attack on all journalists and in effect democracy in Ghana. I urge them to help us enjoy a peaceful electoral process.”
Let’s approach December polls with peace – Catholic Bishops’ Conference
The Most Reverend Phillip Naameh, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference earlier called on Ghanaians to approach the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections with peace.
He said elections were to deepen democracy by giving the citizenry the opportunity to choose a leader to champion development and not an avenue for fighting.
He added that peace remained a precondition for rapid socio-economic development and underscored the need for citizens to be advocates of peace ahead of the polls and shun undemocratic tendencies, including; the use of money to influence election outcomes.
