By: Hannah Dadzie
Stakeholders at a forum which discussed misinformation, peace and democratic consolidation in Ghana, have unanimously called for collective efforts to eradicate misinformation within the media space, especially on social media which has become a global phenomenon.
According to them, misinformation poses a significant threat to elections, stability of countries, health care delivery and governance systems.
The stakeholders therefore called for an all-hands-on deck approach to uproot this canker that has polarized the political environment as the country prepares for the 2024 General Election.
The forum brought together political actors, diplomats, academia, media, security agencies and other members of the public to deliberate on how best to contain Misinformation which has polarized the political environment in many countries.
Misinformation which is inaccurate communications, intends to mislead people, sometimes causing harm.
It has been recorded that falsehood spreads faster than all aspects of information, especially on social media. Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, NMC, George Sarpong said Misinformation on social media and sometimes traditional media, has been a world phenomenon posing a challenge to countries. He believes this can be dealt with by putting the right regulatory measures in place.
“When we talk of the internet, it is true that it is vast but essentially, these are just interconnected service and systems and computers that speak to each other across different jurisdictions. So when create the impression that this is something that is beyond everybody’s control, it is not true. This is principally why countries that have decided to control it have successfully done it. It’s not true that regulation limits free expression, it depends on the nature, content and form of regulation” Mr Sarpong lamented
Omanhene of Asante Asokore and Board Member of the National Peace Council, Professor S. K. B Asante expressed worry that Misinformation has become a global phenomenon spreading through the world.
“We now have cause to worry about certain unwholesome development in the media space within the last 30 years of our democratic experiment. Misinformation is a glaring example of this development, the challenge before us is how to address the deleterious effects of Misinformation without stifling our democracy” Professor S. K. B Asante expresses
Manager, Freedom of Expression at the Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA, Muheed Saaed said Ghana’s system has been polarized with partisan politics. This he said is a dent on the country’s democracy.
“Indeed the term Misinformation has become a baze word around countries especially over the last decade. As we all know competition often breeds unhealthy rivalry bothering on malice, hence the growing toxic nature of political communication and the resulting threat to democracy around the world. “Muheed Saaed said
The Deputy National Security Coordinator, Timothy Coleman, lamented that misinformation can unfortunately be a conduit for terrorism attacks.
He was concerned about attacks on state institutions that tries to sanitise the system.
He said government through relevant institutions are putting measures in place to curtail the growing threat of this phenomenon.
The UK has invested 400,000 Euros to strengthen the capacity of the media and other agencies to combat misinformation in the country. Despite the liberalization of the media, there is cause to worry about the spread of Misinformation and the need to find ways to curtail it.
