By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Oct. 26, GNA – The 2023 Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week has been launched in Kumasi with a call on Ghanaians to use media content responsibly and safeguard themselves from vices on media platforms.
The week-long celebration which is under the auspices of UNESCO Ghana with support from DW Akademie and Penplusbytes is to bring to the fore progress made towards achieving media and information literacy for all.
It is the first time the MIL Week is being held outside the Greater Accra Region and the goal is to reach out to more Ghanaians on how to deal with misinformation and fake news in the digital space.
The celebration is being spearheaded by Penplusbytes in partnership with the Department of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, UNIMAC-Ghana Institute of Journalism, and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
As part of the launch, a panel discussed topics such as the difference between misinformation and disinformation, fact-checking and the role of the NCCE in MIL interventions.
The launch was also used to outdoor a new research report on interventions in MIL space.
Activities lined up for the week include social media campaigns to create awareness of fake news, visits to senior high schools to engage students, as well a radio drama series on selected radio stations.
Mr. Jerry Sam, the Executive Director of Penplusbytes, underlined the need for professionally trained media personalities to create content in the digital space in order not to leave gaps for non-professionals to fill.
He said MIL equips the citizenry to decipher truth from misinformation and fosters a society where knowledge is not just consumed but actively interrogated and understood.
“This week, we are placing special emphasis on digital spaces, and we are exploring innovative ways to make MIL accessible to a wide range of people,” Mr. Sam noted.
He said their focus was to help people navigate the digital spaces critically and responsibly and to understand the impact of their online actions.
“The power of knowledge and information when used responsibly can promote peace, freedom of speech, equality, and access to information and sustainable development,” he pointed out.
Dr Kodwo Jonas Anson Boateng, Head of the Department of Integrated Social Sciences of Ghana Institute of Journalism, said digital technology had dramatically transformed the media landscape, thereby posing a threat to traditional journalists.
Much more profound, he said, was the changes that it had made to the traditional means of accessing and sharing information.
He said Ghanaians were no longer passive consumers of information, but active participants in its creation and dissemination, bringing about huge opportunities for learning, communication and creativity.
“MIL promotes critical thinking, creativity, knowledge construction, informed decision-making and active participation in societal and political processes,” he stated.
GNA
KOM/CA