As much as 90 percent of information in Ghana’s media about government is “totally false”, that is according Deputy Communications Minister, Ato Sarpong.
The former consultant for top media orgainsations such as the Multimedia Group Limited and TV 3 Network said Friday that most of the commentaries by both media persons and other panellists are solely to incite specific group of persons against others.
Speaking as one of four key panellists on Ghana Connect on Joy FM, he told show host, Evans Mensah “I can say based on my monitoring in the last three weeks that 90 percent of information that is put out there [in the media] is falsehood”.
According to him, radio discussions on morning and evening shows particularly, are filled with untruths designed primarily to run down people.
Until his appointment as a Deputy Minister, Mr Sarpong had been working with media houses for many years.
Director General for the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, who was one of the panellists discussing recurring assault on journalists in the last few weeks disagreed with him.
He said the picture the Deputy Minister was painting was “gloomy”.
Sulemana Braimah said the MFWA, which carries out the largest monitoring of media houses in the country has not recorded such staggering figures for false commentaries.
“The issue of facts is the least abused”, he told an audience made up of journalism students, media practitioners, politicians and others at the Ghana International Press Centre where the programme was aired from.
“Out of our monitoring the biggest violation happens in the area of decency – whether or not the language being used is good for public consumption”, Mr Braimah revealed.
“It is important to find out from the Honourable Minister which media he monitors”, he said. But Mr Ato Sarpong didn’t have the opportunity to provide an answer before the show ended.
Editor at Adom FM, one of the Multimedia Group who was assaulted by staff of the National Health Insurance Scheme at Ablekuma in Acra, said the Minister’s assessment was “alarming”.
“You [Ato Sarpong] used to work for TV 3; So was TV3 also peddling falsehood?”, she enquired.
She said she did not remember a single instance where, as consultant for Multimedia, Mr. Sapong raised issues with false commentary on any of the group’s media platforms.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]
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