Sanitizing The Media Space In The Upper West Region

THE MEDIA INDEED HAS A CRITICAL ROLE TO PLAY IN SUSTAINING OUR DEMOCRACY.

W93.5FM MUST BE COMMENDED!
_____________________________________________
The nucleus of our supreme law is peace and tranquility.

The fundamental essense is to have an ideal society where every citizen has a free democratic space. A society without peace and tranquility is a chaotic society. Every living thing becomes an endangered spiece. Development extincts and collectiveness vanishes.

Indeed, our laws place a responsibility or duty on every citizen to contribute to the peace of society. Ensuring a peaceful coexistence is a civic responsibility everyone must exercise.

In contemporary times, loyalty to political ideologies and the manner in which same is exercised, often spark conflict that destabilizes our peace and tranquility.

The African continent per sey, is replete with several instances of civil wars, genocides and political instabilities arising from irresponsible utterances. These irresponsible utterances are arguably common in a multiparty state like ours.

Communicators of various political parties and other interest groups must  be very responsible with their comments because their comments can make and unmake our dispensation. (God Forbid)

In an election year where people become overly emotional, passionate and reactive in defense of their political ideologies, the media must be in the lead, to ensuring that there is sanity in the public discourse. Media reportage on the other hand must be done professionally to ensure fairness. Sensationalism in the media space perhaps sells but it absolutely destroys too. This, we must know as party communicators and media personnel.

It is against this backdrop, that I must commend w93.3fm who has taken the lead to ensure that we have an enviably synchronized media communication environment that will bring about a peaceful, credible, transparent, free and fair elections.

On the 13th August, 2020, the management of w93.5fm organized a public lecture that basically sought to empower political communicators, youth groups, media personnel and other sections of society to collectively contribute to ensuring a peaceful, free and fair elections. All the known political parties were represented.

What made the program more assuring is the fact that political party communicators across the political divide, agreed that issue based communication is what is needed for a peaceful, free and fair elections.

It is my hope the knowledge so acquired will help communicators desist from politics of insults, vilification, personality attack and needless equalisation. After all, the communication experts make us know that the best communicators are those who are modest, soft spoken, and issue based. Insults, vilification, personality attacks, name calling etc make you a bad communicator.

 I am happy that communicators pledged to be very responsible in their political utterances. The media personnel on the other hand assured that they will continue to be professional by ensuring that there is sanity in the airspace.

In my humble opinion, that program should not end there. It should be continuous so that many other participants can get this enlightenment.  I am certain if this program is replicated in the various districts in the region, targeting the youth and political actors, it would contribute significantly in consolidating our peace and stability as a region.

Political communicators are not enemies. They must see themselves as friends selling varying products. Each must concentrate selling its product in a very decent and decorous manner.  We must be minded by our actions and inactions, having it at the back of our minds, that the peace and tranquility of our country be sustained. Sometimes, it is difficult but we must resist every temptation!

God bless W93.5fm for prioritizing the progress of the larger society. That is indeed the essence of media. It must shape society through education, information, constructive criticism among others.

Denis Andaban
The village boy from DBI