Fatimatu Abubakar, Minister of Information, has urged journalists to conduct themselves professionally during the impending elections.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, she warned journalists not to perpetuate falsehoods or incite violence through fake news.
“It [reports] should not be based on inducement or anything…Or inserting yourself because of your personal, political, parochial interests and saying, Because this is where I think the election should go, let me incite, let me embellish, let me lie…,” she said.
“I should also not perpetuate falsehood so that the stories will be sweeter for my political party and sour for the other political party…That we should not do!” she added.
The minister further asked politicians to “do what is expected of them legally” during the electoral process.
“For us politicians, I think it’s only about the quality of your argument and not going and insulting somebody, inciting violence, or anything of that sort… I won’t do it, and I can’t tell anybody to do it…Yours is to make sure your agents are vigilant and they are policing the process…” she said.
“These days it is a contest of ideas. People are raising arguments and trying their best to come up with policies that resonate with people. And I am excited that as we deal with more dialogue and less violence, our democracy is progressing,” she observed.
“I’m excited that on Saturday, we’re all going to vote and trust the Electoral Commission, as created by the Constitution, and all the robust mechanisms put in place will deliver a free and fair election….At the end of the day, there will always be a president for Ghana, and there will be peace and cohesion,” she said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
