Ghanaian media must help our democracy grow, Dr Antwi-Danso
The media has always and will always be a variable in creating insecurity all over the world, Dr Antwi-Danso
An international relations expert, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has called on the Ghanaian media to retune itself.
According to him, the media must structure itself in a way that it won’t be used to create insecurity as the media has always and will always be a variable in creating insecurity all over the world.
“The media in Ghana generally must retune itself. We must understand the national terrain, the international horizon where security is a concern…the media has always and will always be a variable in creating insecurity all over the world; the media is an indispensable variable so the way we talk and allow the media structure to be used for creating insecurity we must be very careful.”
According to a report by asaaseradio.com, Dr Antwi-Danso said the media must be useful in society by being a source of information, education and entertainment while they help Ghana’s democracy grow.
“The media men themselves under the guise of media freedom also create insecurity… There was a time I was vehemently against what was happening in the country…I believe that the media must show their temerity and their usefulness to society by giving us good education, information and entertainment.
“But some of you [media] just believe anything goes and you don’t care and unfortunately when any media person is arrested then you want the whole to stop…the Ghanaian media must help our democracy to grow; when it is going bad say it but say it in such a way that it will remind us of where we are going rather than helping us truncate the freedoms we are having…” he said.
Ghana has also dropped significantly on the continental ranking for the safety of journalists.
African countries ahead of Ghana include Namibia, South Africa, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Niger.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has said he is not surprised Ghana has dropped in the latest World Press Freedom Index.
He said it is an unfortunate development adding there were clear signals the country was going lose its position if the right thing wasn’t done.
“It’s an unfortunate development that we shouldn’t get to where we are now. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, the signals were clear that if proper steps were not taken, we were going to lose that prestigious position and the credibility it poses on our democracy. So it’s unfortunate but that’s where we are now," he noted.
International relations expert, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso