Monday, May 6, 2013

There Is A Need For Media Freedom To Be Ensured By Governments

The Executive Director of Centre for African Elections Media Monitoring Index (CAEMMI), Dr. Messan Mawugbe has stressed the need for media freedom to be ensured by governments.

According to him, the media deserves to be given freedom to operate so as to enhance its performance in the execution of the tasks assigned to it.

Speaking in relation to the World Press Freedom Day which was marked to honour journalists who worked assiduously even to the point of death to build a future for the media, Dr. Messan Mawugbe told Radio Gold that though the media has done well, it however behoves journalists to brood over the code of ethics which defines their profession.

He noted that due to the freedom the media enjoys, it tends to breach its principles.

He cited some reports in the media which to him were very distressing and a total breach of media conduct and so, advised journalists to desist from such practices.

He recounted that he read some reports in the print media which made disparaging remarks about President John Dramani Mahama, something he believed should not be a media attitude.

He was also of the view that as media practitioners enjoy some level of freedom, it is equally significant for the citizenry to have their freedom.

“There has been an ethical breach on the part of Ghanaian media of late. And it’s quite a bit worrying that the media to some extent abuses its own freedom without ensuring the freedom of the citizenry itself,” he expressed his worry.

He further expressed his thoughts about press freedom, saying “I think as a way forward when we are talking about media safety or safety media partitioning, we should also be looking at the safety of the issues. Issues also deserve to have freedom of spaces and freedom of representing themselves.”
 
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

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