Regional Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has condemned in no uncertain terms attacks on personnel of certain media houses in the country during and after the elections.
?The MFWA condemns the attacks and calls on the leadership of the NPP to instruct their supporters to desist from any harassment of media persons conducting their normal function,? Suleman Braimah emphasized at a press conference in Accra.
According to the Executive Director, it is important for the aggrieved supporters of political parties to recognise that ?in as much as it is [their] constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully, the media also has the right to report on the happenings of society for the general good of all.?
Some crew and reporters of three media houses ? Metro TV, TV3 and Joy fm were physically or verbally assaulted by some aggrieved electorate purported to be supporters of the opposition after the declaration of the results of the December 2012 polls.
The foundation also called on the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) to take appropriate steps to inform the public the reasons for the break in transmissions of certain radio and TV stations in the country.
Kencity Media Ltd, operators of Net 2 Television, Oman fm and Ash fm in Kumasi complained bitterly of a break in their transmissions during their coverage of the elections, and this according to Mr. Suleman Braimah does not help the country?s democracy.
?The security agencies should also beef up protection for press houses covering the elections as democracy cannot thrive in a culture of silence,? he insisted.
He maintained that said acts were out of place as the media ?has generally exhibited an appreciable level of professionalism in the coverage and reportage of the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections.?
The advocacy platform however attributes the display of professionalism by the media during this period to the number of fora it organized to sensitize the general public, political activists, and the media against the use of abusive language on radio and the need for the media to be more responsible in the coverage of the elections.
?The media?s coverage of the 2012 elections was very comprehensive?all parts of the country were covered and happenings in polling stations, communities and collation centres were fairly reported,? he said.
Mr. Braimah maintained that the media ought to be praised for this level of professionalism and hard work especially as journalists had to cast their votes on the same day. ?In reporting results, the media were careful to indicate which results published were provisional and which had been confirmed by the EC.?
Another reason for the commendation of the media, he said stemmed from how the media complied with the directive of the Electoral Commission (EC) that there should be no political campaigning 24 hours before, and during the voting days.
STORY: KWAKU NTI
