A professor of Communication Studies at the School of Information and Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, Prof Audrey Gadzekpo, has called on the media to play a pivotal role in shaping the discourse ahead of the December general elections.
Emphasising the importance of setting the right tone, Prof Gadzekpo underscored the need for the media to contribute to fostering credible, fair, and peaceful elections, ultimately benefiting the nation as a whole.
In her view, the media has a crucial responsibility in ensuring that the Ghanaian electorate is well-informed, enabling them to make informed decisions when casting their votes.
Speaking during the Joy Change-Speaker Series VII held on Saturday, May 11, Prof Gadzekpo urged media practitioners to actively work towards increasing voter turnout in the forthcoming elections.
Furthermore, she stressed the significance of upholding quality control standards in journalism, advising media outlets to exercise caution and diligence in verifying and publishing news content.
According to Prof Gadzekpo, maintaining accuracy and reliability is paramount, as the media serves as a primary source of information for the citizenry.
“In the 2020 elections, I read that voter turnout was over 80% and that is fantastic, but how do we maintain this turnout if people are pessimistic if people are disillusioned, they won’t go to the polls. We will have a poor voter turnout, and I think the media has a role to play to encourage voter turnout.”
“And so, in the end, what does the media do as an industry and be a collective pressure group on the election authorities and on the candidates and on the political parties; they must set the right agenda, the right tone on how they report on these things. Even if they are reporting wrongdoing, how do you set the tone so it can be corrected?”she noted.
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