Forty-Five journalists across the country have received hands-on training on responsible security reporting to strengthen the country’s peace and stability.
The training was aimed at equipping the media practitioners with the requisite knowledge and skills in conflict prevention and resolution.
The three-day residential capacity-building workshop was organised by the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) with support from the National Security Secretariat.
The event, which ended in Accra last Sunday, was on the theme: “Media as a Strategic Partner in National Security”.
The workshop brought together editors, senior reporters, news publishers, and media owners from private newspapers and online media platforms.
Chieftaincy, ethnic disputes
The Spokesperson to the President and Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, whose speech was read on his behalf by his deputy, Shamima Muslim, stated that the country was currently dealing with about 300 chieftaincy disputes.
He said biased reporting, sensationalism and political interference were among the factors that could escalate chieftaincy and ethnic disputes into a security crisis.
He cited the Bawku and the Konkomba-Nanumba conflicts as some examples of disputes that had threatened the nation’s security.
“When we fail on chieftaincy and ethnic flashpoints, we turn disputes into war. Ghana has over 300 chieftaincy disputes.
Most are manageable.
They become security crises when politics and media forge the matters, take sides and sensationalise headlines to fuel otherwise manageable conflicts,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu said.
“Think through the Konkomba-Nanumba war, today Bawku is still not a place of absolute peace and every time an online portal publishes unverified casualty figures, or uses language like Kusasis attack Mamprusis, they recruit the next fighter,” he said.
The President’s Spokesperson said media freedom was a security strategy rather than a security threat, highlighting the importance of press freedom to democracy.
Verification, fact-checking
The National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police (COP) Osman Abdul-Razak, in a keynote address, pointed out verification as one of the mechanisms for responsible journalism, emphasising accountability over sensationalism.
He stated that in an era of social media and digitisation, verification and fact-checking were key in combating misinformation, which could potentially lead to conflict.
COP Abdul-Razak, therefore, called on journalists to uphold the highest journalistic standards in their reportage, particularly when reporting on issues relating to ethnicity.
“With the current technology, verification is easy.
Go online and at least Google whatever you’re looking for.
You will get some published works to support yours.
That’s all we are urging you to do.
Therefore, responsible journalism, in my view, is among the nation’s most vital defences against disputes,” the National Security Coordinator stated.
He added: “It relies on verified facts and emphasises accountability over sensationalism.
This type of journalism informs without provoking or exposes wrongdoing without risking lives”.
Training
The President for PRINPAG, David Tamakloe, said the training was to enhance the capacity of private and online newspapers to support accurate, responsible and professional contemporary print issues.
“It forms part of efforts in strengthening the media’s role as a strategic partner in promoting public awareness, national unity, democratic governance and public safety,” Mr Tamakloe explained.
He further urged the participants to utilise the knowledge acquired to become ambassadors and share it with their colleagues.
