Media should have no place for hate speech - Dr. Seidu

A Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr. Alidu Seidu, has called for the media to lead from the front the national peace campaign as Ghanaians readied to go to the polls.

He said they should judge correctly, be ethical and do everything to help defuse political tension, ahead of the general election.

He was speaking at a day’s workshop held for journalists in Kumasi by the National Media Commission (NMC) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Dr. Seidu said the expectation was that they would put the spotlight on issues that united the people but not the opposite, adding that, the felt needs of nation should take centre stage.

Any aggressive political rhetoric, hate speech or anything toxic to the health, security and stability of the society must not find space in the newspapers or given airtime.

He said it was important to identify and to critically analyze the agenda of the political stakeholders, who used their platform, to foretell and prevent trouble.

Dr. Seidu highlighted the urgent need to take a second look at the “winner takes all” system, something, which had been pushing the political parties to do everything to win power to control affairs of the state or lose everything in defeat.

That, he said, must change – give way to an all-inclusive governance, “where there are no losers”.

He reminded the media of its responsibility to give equal access to all the political parties and must not be seen to be giving unfair advantage to anybody.

He said this was the way forward to aid voters to make the right choices at polls.