Multimedia, Peace FM and Other PRO-NPP Media Platforms helping NPP spread Fake News

Greetings,

Good journalism is only ever as good as your sources of information. Journalists need to be as transparent as possible in their relations with listeners and readers. Your platforms have great power hence the need to apply all the journalistic ethics when writing or when you sit behind the consul.

Journalists have to access the vulnerability of some of their consumers as well as their value as consumers of their information. It is dangerous to feed your listeners or readers with unverified information or use subterfuge or deception in your dealings with your listeners or readers. Before you read fake materials on your platforms, consider the impact of your action. In today’s digital environment, rumours, fake letters and speculation circulate freely and knowing what is real and how to verify news and information is essential. Knowing our political environment, you must be alert to the danger of falling for bad information from online sources and mischievous politicians.

A questionable source exhibits extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda and conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency.

That aside, there are some bad journalists working with your outfits who have intentionally buried your ethics and engaging in all manner of unethical activities. The line between good and bad journalism can be drawn easily by looking at the criteria of what constitute each. We still have some journalists who do their work in the interest of the public, very responsible, credible, fair, based on facts with little self interest. Others have crossed the line and work in the interest of their paymasters, political parties, criminals and their personal interest.

Why should OB of Asempa allow Nana B, to read a fake letter purported to have been written by the organizers of the anti- New Voters’ Register Demonstration to the former President without verifying its authenticity or otherwise from the alleged writers? Peace FM, carried same fake news as a news item. The editorial team of that huge platform didn’t find it expedient checking from the organizers to know whether the letter emanated from their outfit. Some radio stations in the Ashanti Region, offered their platforms to Nana B and other Npp propagandists to read and discuss the manufactured content on their platforms all to shift the public’s attention from the well organized and well attended demonstration. OB of Asempa FM, the editorial team of Peace FM (News) and the radio stations in the Ashanti region deliberately allowed the fake letter to be read on their platforms for the purpose of influence or render the demonstration useless.

Yes, I know as a writer that eliminating all errors is not realistic but the test is whether you have made appropriate efforts and taken reasonable steps to verify information presented to you. In doing so, the cornerstone is the values your media houses and you the individual journalist stand for. Part of the job is asking tough questions. Personal feeling, political interest must be put aside in order to unleash the truth

You never discussed the demonstration on your platforms, you never invited the organizers to discuss the reasons behind their move. Your interest is making the organizers and the parties involved look bad and bury the huge responses and successes achieved. Most of the organisers are your friends, they frequently appear on your platforms, you have their contact, so what stopped you from verifying that senseless information from them. Working in the interest of the public is one of the key points that separate good journalism from bad journalism. Some of these journalists are card bearing members of the Npp and have diverted from reality for selfishly prosperous reasons. Instead of acting boldly as watchdogs, exposing corruption, injustices and poor decision making, they act as conduits of their paymasters to perpetuate these evil deeds to the detriment of the suffering masses. Your platforms are losing listeners because of this behaviour. Discerning minds are losing confidence in these platforms because of your unethical activities.

Assuming without admitting that the former President contributed towards the organisation of the demonstration- is that a crime. The former president will not demand for an official letter from organizers of such an important programme before he supports them. That letter is not only fake, but useless.

In spite of all the challenges and negatives we still journalists who possess a solid ethical core and integrity. Fairness, objectivity and honesty are built into every story they sell to the public. Some of these good journalists work with multimedia and peace FM. And interestingly, O.B of Asempa is one of the journalists I admire so much despite his diabolic activities. He has something great in him and I pray God guide him against those political vultures. I pray for the spirit of fairness and boldness for him. Whenever he sits behind the consul, must remind himself that he has huge admirers across the divide.

My prayer for these Npp conduits is that God grants them analytical minds to enable them base stories on fact instead of emotions and cheap propaganda permutations.

Source: Ohenenana Obonti Krow