Media urged to focus on developmental issues

Saltpond (C/R), April 2, GNA - Dr Simpson Anim Boateng, Mfantseman District Director of Health Service has urged the media to focus more on developmental activities in the rural areas instead of concentrating on political issues.

"People do not hear about what is happening in the rural areas where majority of the people live because the papers and the radio prefer political stories at the expense of developmental ones." He said this being an election year notwithstanding; there was the need for the media to provide more information to the public about developments going on especially in the rural areas.

Speaking to Ghana News Agency at Saltpond, Dr Anim Boateng said it was unfortunate that instead of educating the citizenry to make informed decisions and promote democracy, some of the private newspapers and radio stations were rather pursuing their political agenda.

He noted that democracy thrived in a well-informed society and the high level of illiteracy in the country called for much reliance on information from radio and newspapers, adding, "where such information turns out to be untrue, then our democracy is in trouble."

Dr Anim Boateng said some stories could clearly be seen to be intended to discredit political opponents and advised the media to ignore utterances from politicians, which did not promote peace. He said events in some of our neighbour countries should serve as a lesson to Ghanaian media practitioners to be circumspect in what they publish in order not to stair people's emotions and cause anxiety among the public.

Dr Abraham Martey, Medical Officer in charge of the Saltpond Government Hospital urged the media to help promote discipline in the society.

He said this they could do through well designed programmes and would change the perceptions of the public, especially the youth about issues of indecency.