Attacking the media is not the way forward – National Commission for Civic Education.
The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has stated that attacking the media or journalists should not be an option in a democratic country.
According to her, democracy largely hinges on the media; therefore, if the media is continuously attacked, it is a clear indication that there is a threat to democracy.
Speaking at JoyNew’s national dialogue on ‘Defending Media Freedom’ on August 29, she said “Whatever the case may be attacking media, violence, cannot be the way forward for us.
“Our democracy is based on a free media and our constitution is unequivocal on that. We must ensure that journalists have the freedom to practice their journalism within the constraints of their ethical requirement or recommendation.”
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Madam Addy stated that there should be no occasion where violence against the media is normalised, as this would make the entire country unsafe.
She advised stakeholders to take action against those who commit such wrongs; otherwise, Ghana would continue to hold conferences while the issues plaguing society persist.
Additionally, the NCCE head called for an all-hands-on-deck approach to guard against misinformation and disinformation.
Ahead of the polls, she said tempers would rise when individuals feel the results are not in their favour, but she urged them to remember that “this time round not one blood should be shed for anybody. Nobody is worth it. No political party, no political godfather, or godmother is worth shedding blood much less dying for.
