ACCRA, Ghana, 8th November: President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned journalists against what he describes as an unnecessary search for scandals, urging media practitioners to exercise professionalism, civility and responsibility in holding public officials accountable.
He argued that although the media has an important responsibility to scrutinise government activities, deliberately creating controversies where none exist can distract attention from issues affecting the development of the country.
Speaking at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards, President Mahama said journalists and government officials must work together in the public interest while respecting professional boundaries.
He cited as an example what he described as an increasingly adversarial approach where a journalist publicly challenges a minister to appear on a radio programme to expose an alleged discrepancy.
“As a trained journalist myself, I believe that it pushes the limits of media zealotry when a journalist publicly challenges a minister to call into his show to expose him over a so-called discrepancy that the journalist has discovered,” he said.
The President added that his government would continue to respect the media’s mandate to hold public officials accountable but insisted that journalists must avoid unnecessary disputes that contribute little to national development.
“It distracts attention from the people’s business when we split hairs in a deliberate search for scandals where none exist,” he stated.
President Mahama also challenged journalists and media organisations to demonstrate greater accountability by correcting false publications and apologising whenever their reporting damages the reputation of individuals or institutions.
He observed that some journalists and media houses struggle to retract stories or issue apologies even when they discover that the information published was inaccurate.
“However diligent we are as journalists, there are many times when in the line of our work we get it tragically wrong,” he acknowledged.
He said it is only appropriate for media organisations to retract inaccurate stories or apologise when they have unfairly damaged someone’s reputation.
The President further called on editors to move beyond the excessive concentration on political discussions and pay greater attention to sectors such as entertainment, culture, tourism, agriculture and business.
According to him, the dominance of political discussions on morning radio and television programmes sometimes comes at the expense of issues that directly affect the daily lives of ordinary Ghanaians.
He questioned the usefulness of programmes that invite political party representatives to discuss virtually every subject, ranging from animal science to nuclear power, simply because such discussions attract public attention.
President Mahama urged journalists to prioritise developmental reporting by investigating challenges facing farmers, communities without accessible roads, mothers travelling long distances to healthcare facilities and young people struggling to find employment after completing apprenticeships.
He said journalists must also follow up on government promises and projects to establish whether interventions are delivering the intended results.
He encouraged newsrooms to apply consistent standards of evidence when reporting on government, the opposition and other influential individuals, while giving people accused of wrongdoing a fair opportunity to respond.
The President maintained that responsible journalism, accuracy and independence are essential to building public trust and strengthening Ghana’s democracy.
The 30th GJA Media Awards was held under the theme: “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age.”
LISTEN TO PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA IN THE AUDIO BELOW👇:
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️) Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
