‘Designate media houses security zones on election day’
The president of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Roland Affail Monney, has called on the security agencies to designate the premises of media houses security zones on the day of election.
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He said that would ensure security for media personnel to enable them to report on the elections without fear of intimidation.
“There is the tendency for frustrated politicians and bad elements in society to vent their anger on media outfits during this election period. As key partners in the electoral process, the media need adequate protection from the police and the military,” he added.
Mr Monney made the call at an interactive session between the media and the security agencies in Accra yesterday.
The session
Held under the auspices of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, the platform was used to discuss how the security agencies and the media could play their roles effectively to ensure violence-free elections.
Key security officers such as the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje the Chief of Staff of the GAF, Major-General Sampson Adeti, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr John Kudalor, attended the event.
‘Protect journalists’
Mr Monney said in the past, journalists and media houses had been attacked by irate members of the public and that given the crucial nature of the elections at hand, special arrangements ought to be made to protect the press.
He further urged the security agencies to protect journalists who would be at the polling stations to monitor the elections.
Circumspection
In response to a call by the CDS on the National Media Commission and the GJA to put in place measures to guard against media excesses during the elections, Mr Monney urged media practitioners to adhere to ethical standards in their reportage.
“This is not the time to sensationalise because any small misrepresentation or distortion of facts could plunge this country into chaos. We must be seen to be mending cracks by our reportage,” he advised.
Some of the journalists who were at the event recounted bad experiences they had endured in the line of duty due to the lack of protection from the security agencies.
They said just as it was important for them to be circumspect in their reportage, it was equally necessary for adequate measures to be put in place to guarantee their safety during the elections.
