Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairperson of, the National Peace Council (NPC) has commended the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) for instituting Fact-checking on topical and controversial matters through its periodic updates.
The MFWA, Dubawa, FactSpace West Africa and other civil society organisations working on information hygiene, integrity and resilience in Ghana have formed the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition.
The Coalition has been convened ahead of Ghana’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections to mount a joint, collaborative, and coordinated effort to mitigate the menacing threat misinformation and disinformation pose to the country’s peace, stability, and democratic consolidation.
Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi gave the commendation in Accra in his address at the MFWA’s Forum with Media Editors, Managers, Media Associations and Media Policy Influencers to Secure their Buy-in and Commitment to Peaceful Expressions on Media Platforms Before, During and After Election 2024.
“Being mindful of our mandate and the ultimate responsibility of maintaining peace in the country, the NPC recommends close working relations with computer scientists, policymakers, media, and the public to counter the ongoing risk of misinformation in our society,” the Chairperson stated
“We can do this by paying attention to the type of information we consume. Verification of information.”
He noted that the first precaution was for everyone to verify every piece of information received before sharing with others.
Adding that this could be one sure way of mitigating the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media ahead of Ghana’s general elections.
“We should all do our best to avoid repeating or sharing unverifiable information,” he said.
“Furthermore, when we verify the information and are certain of the facts, we should have the courage to share the corrected version of the information on the same platforms.”
Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi reiterated that besides verification of information and debunking misinformation or fake news, Ghanaians should leverage on trusted sources to counter misinformation and provide accurate information on our elections.
He said though the motivation for spreading misinformation was complex, Ghanaians could leverage trusted sources for information including credible news outlets and the NPC among other institutions to avert the spread of misinformation.
He said effective collaboration with key media institutions, stakeholders and the Ghanaian citizenry was key.
Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi said stakeholders could engage young Ghanaians by educating them about the fight against misinformation, which could also lead to a more informed electorate.
He said as the country gears up for this year’s elections in a couple of days, the Council would be committed to efforts at reducing misinformation in the country.
He said their commitment was demonstrated in the setting up of the NPC Situation Room with support from the African Union.
He underscored that this setup, among others, scans and monitors the media landscape to gather early warning signals, including misinformation and other related threats to the peace and security of the country.
Rev Dr Adu-Gyamfi said while stressing the importance of being well-informed when making voting decisions, the Council believes stakeholders must counter misinformation so voters could exercise their franchise with accurate Information.
In his welcome remarks, Mr Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director, MFWA, said recent evidence from surveys such as Afrobarometer Survey and the Mo-Ibrahim Index point to growing mistrust of some of Ghana’s key and critical state institutions, and in fact, growing support for democracy.
He said monitoring reports by the MFWA also point to an increasing spread of elections-related misinformation and disinformation, hate speech, and other polarizing narratives that further increase the threats to the nation’s peace and democracy.
He said over the course of the nation’s three decades of democracy, Ghana had built a free, vibrant, and pluralistic media ecosystem.
Mr Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, the President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) reiterated the Association’s commitment to information integrity and election integrity.
Mr Benjamin Alexander Davis, Chair, Department of Multimedia Journalism, School of Global Journalism and Communication, Morgan State University, United States, in his presentation urged media houses not to sacrifice news accuracy for speed of delivering information.
Source: GNA
