By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Nov. 21, GNA – The National Media Commission (NMC) has launched the first ever Ghana Media Watch APP to empower journalists and citizens to capture and report real time suspicious activities before, during and after the elections.
It is a cutting-edge monitoring technology for combating disinformation, tracking media performance, securing safety of journalists, and promoting transparency in election coverage.
Designed by Softmasters, the App is a complete system comprising of a web app, mobile app, and content management system, as well as GPS and time specific features.
Mr George Sarpong, Executive Secretary, NMC said the App was to offer opportunity for the people of Ghana to capture their reality using the App and for submission for analysis.
“We are particularly excited about this because a lot of the times, any time there is an attack on a journalist, there is no evidence of the incident to enable us to take the next reaction.”
He said the App would offer an opportunity to address problems in real time.
“So, if you see something happening on radio or television, you can record it and submit immediately to the NMC. Immediately, we can intervene to address the problem, and this is going to be particularly significant for the elections.”
Mr Sarpong said the launch of the App added another layer to the collective efforts to address questions of information integrity, distortion, misinformation and disinformation and protect the sanctity of the information space.
“We are also preparing to work with the Ghana Health Service to be able to work with the nearest hospital in such instances to secure health care for journalists, as well as the Ghana Insurance Association to put together insurance package for journalists who get into any kind of a threat.”
He assured that the commission would also work closely with the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition to ensure that they protect the sanctity of the information space, while urging the media to help in popularizing the App.
Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, Chairman National Media Commission, said the conduction of a peaceful election depends on the media, saying the launch of the App had come at the right time to help journalists provide clear and accurate facts.
He said, “The media can hold everybody to peace if our facts are clear and not distorted or aligned to any political party. We must not provide any information that will cause mayhem.”
“We must remember that there is a future we are all looking up to, so we must not promote violence since we do not know the outcome of it. In whatever we do we must not throw away the facts.”
He urged journalists across the country to download the App and make good use of it, especially during the upcoming elections and beyond.
Mr Suleimana Brimah, Media Foundation for West Africa, said even though the App was supposed to be focused only on the media practitioners and facilities, there was a huge component around elections, and the monitoring of incidents.
He said it would serve as a mechanism for dealing with the multiple problems that had ensued over the years, complement the work of journalists, and give real-time incident reports.
“Evidence is very crucial, what happened, where did it happen, who did it, and all of that, so we are also looking at creating a media situation room, for the upcoming election, to help deal with the whole gamut of what happens within the media ecosystem and help resolve some of them.”
He congratulated the NMC for taking the lead in developing such a robust App for the upcoming elections and urged media practitioners to utilize the App to the maximum levels they could.
GNA