MULTIMEDIA: WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OBJECTIVE AND VIBRANT MEDIA HOUSE? The media is often referred to as the fourth pillar in democracy. It has a key role to play in monitoring and investigating the actions of those in power and informing citizens about them. Yet, the media and journalists are not immune to corruption. While there is only limited research and awareness on corruption within the media, there is a broad consensus that the development of independent, legally protected, professionally managed, and economically viable news media is essential for ensuring accountable,responsibly and ethical media . Sadly, here in the 21st century, all those romantic tales of the press fighting corruption and bringing criminal activity in government to book are all but ancient history”! -Patrick Henningsen Corruption is a very serious problem that requires a strong political will and a sound moral background to tackle. But unfortunately, even the very people who have strong moral backgrounds are not interested in politics. Under normal circumstances, it is the media which ought to put the state institutions in check and help minimize corruption in society. Unfortunately, it is very frustrating that todays media has rather become the megaphone of most corrupt governments across the Africa and the world. Instead of exposing corruption in government, the media continues to feed the people with propaganda and gross misinformation. Until recently , Joy fm was a powerful media house that pride itself as most objective and fair privately owned media house in the country in terms of number of listeners in relation with Atlantis radio etc. For the past few years have seen a declining objectivity to the extent that almost every news headlines coming out from the station is treated with disdain and mistrust. As typical of most African media, they will quickly runs to apologise for their designs mistakes. The effects of bad journalism can be felt in Rwanda today when just a word from a journalist that Hutus are cokroaches and should be kill by Tutsi man was enough for people to kill over a million people within 100 days, the hands of the media in destroying a nation can be found in sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia etc. Freedom of expression is one of the most important legal framework preconditions for unbiased media reportage and yet we have all of expression than developers of democracy than USA only for the media to suffocate us with lies ,deceits, demonic and widespread stories of fictional news for sale. A 2010 report documents by transparency international reveals that There were phenomenon of cash for news coverage across the country by large privately owned media houses across the country, their reportage is skewed towards destruction of the country than development 1. PRESIDENT MAHAMA met with gun shoot at Buipe was found out to be false and they APOLOGISE 2. COCAINE MISSING IN TEMA HARBOUR-Found to be false and APOLOGISE 3. PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA PREVENT STOPPED MERCHANT BANK FROM RECOVERING DEBTS FROM COMPANY OWNS BY PRESIDENTS BROTHER- False and APOLOGISE 4. GHANA IS 3RD MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY- GALLUP REPORT ; Found to be false and APOLOGISE 5. citifmonline/mobile/?id=1.1190518 and APOLOGISE 6.edition.myjoyonline/pages/news/201308/111622.php 7. citifmonline/mobile/?id=1.1190518 8. edition.myjoyonline/pages/news/201308/111622.php 9.ghananewslink/old/index.php?id=11135 westerngh/2010/07/government-demands-apology-from-joy-fm-for-false-report/ 10. theafghanamma/clarification-and-apology/ ricareport/Columns/the-day-news-died-in-ghana.html 11. ghanamma/clarification-and-apology/ 12. savannahnewsblogspotcom.blogspot/2010/11/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html similar nauseating stories fabricated by some charlatans parading as journalist, denigrating the presidency beyond measure. This false news that the president had impregnated a 17 year old maid was gleefully reviewed on some wayward media houses whose main motive for being in business is to murder peoples hard earned reputation. This news was falsely attributed to another media house that had nothing to do with the story. Few hours later the reporters issued a lame apology and stories to explain how they were lured into publishing a story that came from the figment of the imagination of the wicked soul.. Unfortunately, the mischievous media houses that reviewed the false story didnt see the need to publicise the apology with the same enthusiasm and gleefulness as they did with the fabricated story They reviewed these false story and succeeded in deceiving the gullible in the society who believe any trash from a media house is the gospel truth. They caused pain to the president and his family and left in its trail a scar that couldnt be effaced by their lame apology. Now these buccaneering journalists are free men, walking freely on the streets of Accra!!! We forgot them and went to sleep. Before the pangs of distress from this false publication could subside, so-called international reputation, started another viral and jaundiced news on the president. This malicious fabrication is the second time in a months from the JOY FM and its allies. Ater their attention was drawn to the mendacity in their story, they came out with another lame apology. Is that enough? Is it enough to drag the reputation of the presidency into the mud and render a two-line apology and off you go? If this is what democracy means, then its beneficiaries in Ghana have been possessed by crazy demons and so what we have today is nothing but demon-crazy and not democracy. Shouldnt we regret for importing democracy into Africa? Shall we begin to hate the western democracy that we have adapted as a panacea for solving our governance challenges? If care is not taken to check the Baron and Mafias in the system, our very pride will be taken away from us to satisfy their egocentrism. MULTIMEDIA GROUP: YOUR LAST WARNING! !!!
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 07:00:44 +0000
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