Election 2020: NMC, Peace Council, MFWA deliberate on curbing hate speech, abusive language

According to a member of the Commission, Addoquaye Moffat all entities have met to fine-tune a document intended to guide citizens and the media in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the upcoming general elections.

“The highlights of the documents were centered on hate speech, abusive language, and election-related violence which averts to peace especially in an election year. We encourage the media in Ghana to maintain a middle line to ensure that through them a balance will be maintained to avert any unnecessary conflicts ahead, during and after the upcoming elections.”

Addoquaye Moffat said this at a National Forum on Media and Peaceful Elections in Ghana on Thursday, October 22, 2020. The event which was held in Accra was organised by the Media Foundation For West Africa (MFWA).

Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa at the Forum provided an Elections Communication Guide to be used by the media ahead of the elections to assist their operations.

Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Suleimana Braimah urged the media to be circumspect in their reportage and called on all media houses to desist from allowing hateful and inciteful messaging on their platforms as Ghana soon heads to the polls.

Some guests that graced the forum were, Addoquaye Moffat of the National Media Commission, Director of Public Affairs for the Ghana Police Service, Supt. Sheila Kessie Abayie-Buckman, Micheal Boadu of the Electoral Commission, Chairperson of the NCCE, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, Chairperson of the National Peace Council, Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Ron Strikker.