Police don’t 'just' arrest anyone for fake news – IGP

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has said the police do not “just” arrest anyone for fake news.

He explained that the police would take action only when the news being peddled has national security implications.

“The police have not arrested anybody for fake news. What we are talking about is that there is a law that says that if you go out there and start putting things that have the potency of bringing the security of the state into disrepute to a level that it will create confusion and cause our very survival to be destroyed, we will deal with you.”

The IGP was reacting to a comment made by Gayheart Mensah, a communications consultant, who said the police were arresting journalists for publishing fake news.

Mr. Mensah, at the Ghana Report Summit, held on the theme "Dealing with Misinformation and Disinformation: Election 2024," said the police had no business arresting journalists because there were laid down procedures and institutions, including the National Media Commission (NMC), to handle such matters.

He called for processes and structures to be followed in dealing with issues of fake news, condemning instances of security operators attacking and accosting journalists over fake news instead of following laid-down procedures.

“I am talking about a process, and that process does not lie in security operators getting up at times without any complaint and arresting journalists for fake news. When there is news about you that you think is unfair, you report it to the National Media Coalition,” he reiterated.

But Dr. Dampare called for a collaborative effort among institutions and the public to address issues of misinformation and disinformation.

He called on the public to be vigilant and circumspect in what they read and shared as news.

He said it's time for the public to consider societal problems and challenges as a collective responsibility.

The IGP urged institutions that shared information and news to be proactive in coming out with authentic information to dispel fake news.

“The media has a role to play; use your gatekeeping role to check what goes out and what not to consume. Let us check our breaking news to ensure that whatever we put out is genuine,” he said.