Otokunor praises media practitioners for protecting dignity of late Kwame Dzokoto

Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Spokesperson for the NDC Congress Election Committee, has commended media managers for demonstrating sensitivity and professionalism by protecting Kwame Dzokoto’s dignity during a live broadcast.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam, Dr Otokunor praised the studio team for its handling of the situation, saying its actions offered an important lesson to journalists, bloggers, and other media practitioners.

He expressed concern that some media practitioners appeared increasingly focused on trending topics and social media attention at the expense of human dignity and sensitivity.

“Let me use this opportunity to thank the media managers of the studio. They did something unique, and I was really excited about it because, in recent times, human beings are losing sensitivity to certain things. Everyone wants to trend,” he said.

The veteran actor and media personality collapsed during a live panel discussion on Tarkwa-based Owass FM on Thursday, October 22, 2026, which the show suspended.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical care but was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to Dr. Otokunor, the studio team acted responsibly when it realised that the incident was being captured live on camera.

“You would see that when they saw the thing coming live on camera, they did so well. Let’s recommend them and encourage other media practitioners. These are things they have to learn from, and those are coming up doing blogging,” he said.

He stressed that Ghanaian media practitioners should uphold the country’s cultural values and ensure those values are reflected in their professional conduct.

“We Ghanaians, we have a culture, and it should reflect in all we do,” he added.

Dr Otokunor also referenced an incident involving Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, during which he said the lawmaker appeared visibly unwell but was filmed, and the footage was subsequently shared on social media.

“In recent times, we saw what happened during the collapse of Hon. Francis Sosu. Visibly, you could see the person wasn’t well, yet you positioned your phone on him. After you post it on social media, that is the risky part,” he said.

While acknowledging that recording such incidents could sometimes serve legitimate purposes, including providing evidence, Dr Otokunor cautioned against publishing sensitive footage without considering the individual’s condition and privacy.

“You could film some of those things for evidence purposes; it could be useful for other things, but not to put it out,” he said.

He urged journalists and bloggers to prioritise compassion, responsibility and respect for human dignity when covering emergencies or incidents involving people who may be vulnerable.