'Ignore politicians, set the agenda' (Page 3)

IT is high time Ghanaian journalists ignored the continual “empty noise” made by some politicians and concentrate on issues that affect majority of the people, says a media consultant, Professor Kwame Karikari.
Addressing participants at the Africa Day 2010 Development Journalism Seminar held in Accra on Monday, Professor Karikari said journalists should concentrate on the day-to-day issues of livelihood instead of spending resources on “loose talk and nothingness that disturb our ears”.
“There is the need to shift journalism from the issues of politicians and concentrate more on the things that affect everyday lives,” he stressed.
Professor Karikari, who is also the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), said the media should not allow themselves to be dictated to by politicians but rather be the ones to set the agenda for national development.
He said there were some members of both the ruling and opposition parties who intentionally employed all manner of techniques to divert the attention of society so that they could cover up their inadequacies.
Speaking on the topic: “Harnessing the power of the media for social change”, Prof. Karikari noted that many people continued to live in poverty, which was degrading.
He, therefore, challenged media practitioners to tackle the important factors of poverty, which included lack of basic infrastructure, water, electricity, health care, road safety and consumer rights.
Professor Karikari said in time past when Ghana had few media houses, a lot of airtime and space was dedicated to developmental issues, especially public health, but now that there were many media houses, all attention had been turned to politicians who oftentimes deceived people as a means of achieving their own individual objectives.
He said a political party that had failed to perform its core responsibility could indulge in what he termed "diversionary tactics" to avoid the issues.
He observed that some politicians from both sides of the political divide did not want to concentrate on governance but spent time insulting each other.
Professor Karikari observed that the culture of insults was thriving especially on radio because many of the radio stations lacked management and, therefore, allowed people to say what they wanted without any checks.
“Until management sit down and regulate those things, we will continue to be fed with all manner of insults,” he stated.
He touched on media professionalism and called for accuracy, clarity, ethical norms, publication of what was edifying, using sober language that would make people want to hear more, as well as using images that the public would want to remember.
In his welcoming address, the General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Bright Blewu, urged journalists to focus on development journalism.
He noted that the programme was taking place on the eve of the African Union (AU) Day, adding that journalism during the time of the formation of the AU was basically on development.
Mr Blewu challenged Ghanaian journalists to set the agenda and generate debate to ensure that they put the government on its toes without being negative.
“We need to push developmental issues through our reportage,” he stressed.
The one-day seminar was organised by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) in collaboration with the GJA. Ms Sylvia Vollenhoven of the Knight Development Journalism Fellow-Ghana was the lead trainer.