Police call on media to adhere to ethical standards

The Police have called on the media to be circumspect and adhere to high ethical standards in reporting on the 2020 general elections to safeguard national peace and stability.

Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, the Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer, also called on the media to double-check their facts before going to press in order not to mislead the public.

Speaking at a media training workshop in Sunyani and organised by the police with support from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Chief Inspector Oppong called for a strengthened media-police relationship, saying the police always required the support of the media in crime combat.

He said the media was a key stakeholder in ensuring a peaceful election and asked practitioners to be accurate, objective and avoid biases in order not to generate tensions that could trigger political violence.

About 30 Journalists and media practitioners attended the workshop, which aimed at educating them on the service, rankings and responsibilities of the Police towards maintaining peaceful general elections.

Chief Inspector Oppong advised the media to eschew pride, be humble and pass through laid down procedures in seeking information from the police to build better relationships with personnel.

Mrs Doris Gbongbo, the Bono Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), cautioned the media against peddling of lies and deception, saying irresponsible media work could plunge the nation into chaos.

She said the NCCE had intensified voter education and had set up Inter-party dialogues committees at some identifiable flash points in the Region to help identify and resolve tendencies that could trigger political violence.

The committee, she added, also enhanced public education in their respective communities to sensitize the people on the need to preserve national peace and social cohesion.