The Media Foundation for West Africa on Thursday cited some top officials of National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for engaging in usage of indecent expressions on radio.
The high-ranking NDC officials were Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development and Mr. David Annan, a member of the party’s legal team.
The NPP’s officials cited were the General Secretary, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (Sir John) and Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency.
The Foundation’s week 13 monitoring report copied to the Ghana News Agency, indicates that 12 indecent expressions were captured from June 24th to 30th.
According to the report, Mr. Agyapong was captured to have made a provocative statement on Adom FM’s “Dwaso Nsem” programme of June 25, whilst Mr. Afriyie Ankrah, was captured on Kessben FM’s “Maakye” programme of June 26.
Mr. Kojo Twum Boafo, a Member of the NDC’s Communications Team, was captured on Radio Gold’s Newspaper Review segment of the Morning Drive on June 27. Mr. David Annan, was captured during Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji programme of June 30.
On use of insulting and offensive comments, Mr. Adomako Baafi, a member of NPP Communications Team was captured during Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme of June 26.
Mr. Owusu Afriyie was captured on Adom FM’s Evening News of June 27, whilst Peace FM replayed an offensive remark by Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, Kwabre West Constituency Chairman of the NPP during its Mid-day News of June 27.
According to the MFWA’s report, the NPP officials and supporters made seven of the indecorous expressions, whilst the NDC officials and supporters made four.
Three of the indecent expressions were made on Radio Gold and two on Oman FM.
According to the report, incidence of indecent expressions on radio moved up from five in the 12th week of monitoring (June 17 – 23, 2012) to 12 in the 13th week (June 24 – 30, 2012).
The weekly reports are the outcomes of the monitoring of indecent expressions on radio stations under the project, “Promoting Issues-based and Decent Language Campaigning for a Peaceful, Free and Fair Elections in Ghana in 2012,” being funded by STAR-Ghana.
The project is aimed at promoting issues-based and decent language campaigning in Ghana’s December 2012 polls.
It involves daily monitoring of language expressions by politicians and activists on specific programmes on 31 selected radio stations across the country.
The weekly reports are aimed at sensitising the public to know the individuals who make indecent expressions, their political party affiliation, and the radio stations on which such expressions are used.
According to the MFWA, most of the indecent remarks were made during political discussion programmes.
The main subject of discussion around which half of the indecent expressions were made was President John Evans Atta Mill’s health.
The MFWA has been urging radio stations to desist from the replay of indecent expressions on their networks since they tend to amplify such expressions and their potentially negative ramifications.
The MFWA is once again commending the moderators of the various programmes on the 31 radio stations being monitored, who continue to insist on issues-based discussions devoid of indecent expressions on their respective airwaves.
The MFWA urged producers and moderators to desist from the replay of indecent expressions since such acts amplify the expressions and their potentially negative consequences.**
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