By Isaac Asare
Chairman of the National Media Commission NMC, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo has taken a swipe at media Practitioners with the penchant for putting out topics for public discussion without having adequate knowledge about the subject being discussed. A real case scenario, he lamented, is the practice where people are given the platform to express their views on topical issues when they do not have an iota of knowledge on what the issue is about. This, he observed, gives people the chance to give unrelated comments in an effort to contribute or speak to the issue.
The media he reiterated must educate themselves sufficiently about every issue that they want to put out for discussion, because it is only when they have done enough research and understand the issues at hand, and then moderate to ensure the relevant input, for constructive views and criticisms.
Inaugurating a 10-member Board of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, in Accra on March 16, 2022 at Broadcasting House, the astute Media Practitioner and Lecturer said getting first-hand information on topical issues and matters of public concern gives the moderator the edge to ask relevant questions that pertained to the subject matter.
Mr Ayeboafo, who made particular reference to recent happenings in Parliament and the strike by the University Teachers Association of Ghana UTAG, emphasised that such issues would not have degenerated to the level they assumed if the media were better informed on the legal interpretations and procedures underpinning both matters. In the same vein, the majority of Ghanaians are lost in despair because the media have not done enough to deepen understanding in dealing with such matters, according to Mr. Ayeboafo.
He, however, charged the media to be up and doing since they have the skill of getting in-depth information from experts and using it to their advantage during deliberations.
The media, he further noted, has a comparative advantage of picking up complicated matters and reducing them to the understanding of the ordinary person. This opportunity, Mr. Ayeboafo added, must not be taken for granted, but a skill that must be capitalized for the sake of credibility.
He said professionalism comes to play when the media is adequately on top of issues and is able to do due diligence to topics put to the fore for public discourse.
Mr. Ayeboafo said the onerous responsibility on the state media is even bigger especially in the era of fake news because any information carried out by any of the state media outlets is deemed credible and is therefore considered as factual and reliable. For him, it behooves the media to delve into issues with professional lenses and gather all necessary information they need before going public.
To this effect, Mr. Ayeboafo challenged media practitioners to read widely to broaden their horizons and make a difference in today’s competitive media environment. He again encouraged the media to always seek expert opinion on topical issues and not cheaply resort to politicians and individuals who often take entrenched positions and deviate from the subject matter.
“We need to invite people who are knowledgeable in the subject matter rather than calling the politicians, ” he advised.
On the condition of service and welfare of Staff of GBC, Mr. Ayeboafo bemoaned the fact that the State-Owned Media does not pay well.
“That our salaries are not competitive in terms of the bigger world,” he said.
He encouraged the management of GBC to meet the obligation of Staff in making sure that future remittances due them are duly paid, especially when it comes to the payment of social security and other personal entitlements such as the Provident Fund. Whilst urging Management of the state media to secure the future of its workers by paying their SSNIT contributions, Mr. Ayeboafo advised Staff to regularly monitor their ”contributions and ensure that there is reconciliation whilst in active service”.