Coverage of women in 2016 elections low — NMC
The executive secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr George Sarpong, has urged the media to make gender balance a prime focus of their reportage to give equal coverage to issues affecting men and women.
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That, he said, was necessary to address the issue of gender inequality stipulated in Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the post-elections Media Forum and Awards in Accra, dubbed “The Media and the 2016 Elections: Challenges, Lessons and Prospects for the Future”, last Tuesday, he indicated that records from the NMC showed that the media gave less coverage to women in politics during the 2016 general election.
According to Mr Sarpong, coverage of female candidates during the elections was less than seven per cent.
Exposure
“There was more concentration on the men than women and this undermines efforts of the women who are capable and are hidden somewhere in the dark who need the media to expose their potential to the world,” he said.
While commending the role the media played during the elections, he said, they, at a point, breached some ethics of the profession such as the use of sensationalism in their reportage.
Media’s role
The Executive Director of the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), Mr Sulemana Braimah, underscored the crucial role of the media.
“They serve as the channels for campaigns, platforms for public debates and discussions and conduit for public sensitisation and awareness creation,” he said; and added that for that reason it required support and monitoring to avoid professional lapses.
Complacency
For his part, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Affail Monney, described efforts of the media as ‘laudable’, adding: “Do not allow complacency to destroy the good image gained in the 2016 general election.”
The forum also honoured 13 radio stations out of the 70 influential radio stations in the country for making significant contributions towards reporting on issues-based events and working to promote a peaceful election.
