By Rebecca Ekpe
Security Expert Adib Saani says there should be a deeper collaboration between the Police and the Media, especially in the dissemination of information that is considered to be of national security interest.
Mr. Saani made the point in an interview on GBC News in response to the Centralization of Information dissemination Policy adopted by the Police lately.
The Ghana Journalists Association on Friday, September 23, 2022 issued a statement and observed with dismay a developing trend where the Police Administration, as part of its communication strategy has centralised the sharing of information to the public and the media. Journalists in the region are concerned about accurate and informed reportage and it is important that they are assisted with timely and credible information to deliver on their mandate”, the GJA observed.
In the view of the Security Expert, in as much as the Police is attempting to centralize information, there is the critical need to strike a balance in the process of information dissemination,…. in other words, ”you do not give too much information or too scanty or little information’’, Adib Saani posited.
He advocated a deeper collaboration between Police and the Media as the Fourth Estate of the realm in the interest of promoting a vibrant media to protect Ghana’s democracy.
Mr. Saani said to ensure a win-win position for the Media and the Police, the Administration ought to reconsider its communication protocols and tailor it for the overall interest of the people, ”so far as it protects the people,” he reiterated.
The issue here is that it is up to the Police Communication Apparatus to be able to craft the information in a way that deals with ”the right to know”, the Security Expert suggested.
