By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Sept. 17, GNA- Journalists and other media practitioners in the Upper West Region have been equipped with skills and knowledge on conflict-sensitive reporting and peace journalism ahead of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
They were also trained on identifying hate speech and other forms of indecent expressions, fact-based reporting and fact-checking tools, countering misinformation and disinformation and polarising narratives in the 2024 elections and the media’s role in peacebuilding and community resilience.
The two-day workshop was organised by the Upper West Regional Peace Council under the “Preventing Violent Extremism Through Social Accountability (POVETSA) project in partnership with the Catholic Relive Services (CRS) and funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It was aimed to equip the journalists and media practitioners in the region with the tools to lead the fight against hate speech and other sensitive issues that could inflame passion and mar the peace of the country before, during and after the 2024 general election.
Professor Samuel Marfo, a Professor of Conflict Resolution at the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) observed that the high youth unemployment rate in the country had posed a security threat to the country.
He attributed the problem to high unemployment, which had increased the vulnerability of the youth to being lured into fomenting trouble and emphasised the need for increased efforts of the government to solve the unemployment issue in Ghana.
In his presentation on peace journalism, Mr Prosper Kuorsoh, a lecturer at the SDD-UBIDS, urged journalists and media practitioners to use their platforms as tools to promote peace and social cohesion.
He said as the nation geared up for the 2024 election the media must prioritise reportage that reduced electoral tension among the populace and tendencies to cause chaos.
“As journalists, we should avoid the use of inflammatory language and sensationalism when reporting on conflict issues, especially in this election season.
If there is chaos, the journalists are also at risk, so we should report to promote peace”, Mr Kuorsoh, who is also the Upper West Regional Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said.
Apostle George Apasera, a member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, cautioned the media against using or allowing their platforms to be used to perpetuate issues that could trigger violence.
He reminded the media personnel of their journalistic principles and responsibilities to the nation and stressed the need for them to hold those principles in high esteem to ensure responsible reportage to protect the peace and democracy of the nation.
Mr Mohammed Fowaz, Programmes Manager, Conflict Resolution and Management at the National Peace Council, said the training was to, among other things, address the concerns of disconnect between the “governed and the governors” and the gaps between the state institutions and the services the citizens sought from those institutions.
GNA