Ghana: MEDIA MUST Maintain Editorial Independence [opinion]

Last Wednesday, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) disseminated the findings of its study titled Monitoring Media Reportage on Corruption. The study was conducted by the astute media lecturer, Dr Audrey S. Gadzekpo, Director, School of Communication, University of Ghana, Legon.

To a large extent, the study faulted the media. Though it noted that there was a willingness on the part of the Ghanaian Media ? both private and state-owned ? to address issues of corruption, transparency and accountability in public life, it said the media?s capacity to do so remain at the rudimentary level of awareness creation and sloganeering, mainly because stories lacked depth, analysis and independent investigation.

The study further noted that the coverage of corruption-related issues is sometimes tinged with political partisanship which then manifests in one-sided articles that promote a parochial agenda rather than the larger public interest.
These, though not entirely new to many, raise concerns about the capacity of the media as an important pillar of good governance to uphold accountability and expose corruption. It is also disturbing because it demonstrates that the media has partly contributed to Ghana?s stagnating score of 3.9 on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published last week by anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI).

The situation described in the GACC study is absolutely undesirable. It is very important that mitigating measures be taken by all parties, especially as Ghana expects its first oil inflows by close of 2010.

The placement of some oil rich nations like Nigeria on the CPI amply manifests the high levels of corruption in those nations. This should adequately guide Ghana if the country is to avoid the oil curse and its resultant high levels of corruption.

One of the ways in which the media can assist in checking corruption is by adopting investigative journalism. By investigating and reporting on corruption, the media provides an important counterpoint to the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, shedding light on the wrong doings of public office holders and corporate executives alike. As such, it significantly contributes to the basis of knowledge with which citizens can hold both public and private institutions to account.

For the media to effectively discharge these important duties as indicated above and wage a successful war against corruption, it must necessarily be armed with the tools and ingredients of the profession.

These tools and ingredients come in the form of physical equipment, financial investments and enabling laws. Journalists must be well kitted with adequate investigative journalism skills and state of the art equipment in order to go around the complex web of highly sophisticated corruption crimes.

Then, the government must live up to what is expected of it. The passage of the whistle blower law was encouraging but journalists will be more bolstered if there is a freedom of information law as well.
Let us all be guided that it is primarily the media?s responsibility to keep surveillance over society and to ensure that both government and the governed who engage in wrongdoing are exposed.

- November 24, 2009 by the editor of Public Agenda

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Source: www.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda/article.php  accessed on 24.11.2009)