By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday March 25, 2010
Ace Ankomah, a prominent legal practitioner and law lecturer says the country needs urgent legislation that will make it mandatory for radio stations to acquire delayed broadcast equipment to safeguard the peace and unity of the country.
“The National Media Commission (NMC) should push for the enforcement of this legislation without any delay. This ought to be a precedent if we want to live to see the future of this country,” he added.
Mr. Ankomah said it has become necessary to introduce such measures due to the high level of abuse associated with phone-in segments of radio programmes.
The law lecturer was speaking at a media development forum, which was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with sponsorship from the Danish Embassy in Accra and under the theme, “Phone-ins: Blessing or curse to freedom of expression.”
The forum, which was carried live on both GTV and Joy FM, formed part of the Ghana Media Standards Improvement Project (GMSIP), which is an occasional platform for media practitioners to share experiences as well as exchange ideas on how to deal with professional challenges to advance the profession.
The programme, moderated by Berefi Apenteng, a former Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, was structured in such a way that Messrs Ayavana Zananida and Ben Ephson, who are both media practitioners debated for and against radio phone-in programmes respectively, with Mr. Ankomah assessing the legal implications of phone-in radio programmes in the country.
Mr. Ankomah said, “I know some of you would not like me for saying this but the truth is that the NMC is quiet toothless when it comes to checking the media. It is toothless when it comes to revoking the licenses of straying radio stations.”
“Two radio stations went on a Radio Rwanda-like agenda during the 2008 general elections and we should not sit here to say that nothing can happen in Ghana. Ben Ephson says we were lucky nothing happened in the elections, but I will say we are blessed. Phone-ins and text messages are now being concocted. They are being abused and the earlier we take steps to check it the better. We are dealing with the issue of real time communication and we need legislative interventions as soon as possible.”
Mr. Ankomah, who is also helping the GJA on its Ethics Committee, said most of the commentaries on radio stations and other media are “highly defamatory and libelous and if people begin to take up issues with such media outlets they would be in serious trouble.”
The law lecturer stated, “We must think seriously about liability and defamation and we might never find the serial caller but we can easily get to you. The essence is that radio stations have criminal liability.
“It is dangerous for radio stations to say that they are thinking about profit and market share because pockets of the repealed criminal libel law are still there and it can easily get to you.”
“The NMC has the power to compel these stations to acquire the delayed broadcast equipment. If you do not purchase such equipment you should not be allowed to broadcast, period!”
Mr. Ephson, a discussant who spoke against radio-phone-in programmes, said research had shown that almost the same persons are making the phone calls to the various radio stations, adding, “When people phone into radio stations, the moderator of the programme cannot be expected to foresee what the caller will say. He or she at that stage is powerless.”
“If the situation continues in this present form we could get into the Rwanda situation.”
Mr. Zananida, the other discussant who spoke in favour of phone-ins, said radio has come to shape the lives of people and if it is properly managed and coordinated, it would facilitate the development of the country.
The co-ordinator of the media project, Ms. Ajoa Yeboah-Afari noted that the forum presents the opportunity to discuss the media to ensure best practices, indicating that phone-in segments of radio programmes must be managed well for others to take a cue from Ghana.
The moderator of the programme, Mr. Apenteng mentioned that the phone-in concept must be reassessed and corrective measures put in place to facilitate freedom of expression in the democratic dispensation.
Ms Audrey Gadzekpo of the School of Communication Studies called for a broadcasting law that would bring sanity into the system, saying that “before that happens, radio stations should do well to moderate programmes to ensure that the security of the nation is not put in jeopardy.”
There were also useful contributions from a host of participants who attended the forum.
Also see : www.dailyguideghana.com
No comments:
Post a Comment