Ghana media to shape up with code of conduct, before polls
Ahead of Ghana’s presidential and general elections in less than five months, the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIA) has launched a code of conduct for Journalists during the 2012 polls.
Ghana is one of the West African countries applauded for its press freedom, but in recent times critics and analysts have said too much freedom has led some newsmen astray.
The objective of the latest code of conduct for Ghanaian Journalists is to ensure responsible and professional reporting during the upcoming polls.
Ghanaian academic, Wisdom J. Tettey of the Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada has written extensively about media accountability in Africa, acknowledging that the media “have had a positive impact on democratization in Africa.”
Tettey however believes there is a need for the media themselves to guard against abusing freedom and put in place self regulations to prevent unprofessional/irresponsible reporting.
“There is, therefore, the need for the media themselves to put in place procedures and demonstrate attitudes and levels of performance that ensure the highest standards of professionalism and levels of probity and accountability,” the Ghanaian media expert said in one of his works.
As WADR’s Accra Correspondent Kofi Agyepong reports, the eighteen-point guidelines were launched just days ago the Ghanaian capital.
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