Media Asked To Set Peace Agenda

By A.B. Kafui Kanyi, GNA
Ho, Sept. 23, GNA - Dr. Seidu Alidu, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Friday, urged the media to set the agenda for peace as the country prepared for general election in December.

He said the citizenry was desirous of peace and, therefore, charged journalists and other media practitioners to 'reignite consciousness and professionalism' to help consolidate the country's democratic gains.

Dr. Alidu said this at a workshop for media practitioners in the Volta Region on 'Peace Angle Journalism', organised by the National Media Commission, with the support from the United Nations Development Programme.

He described Ghana as 'negatively peaceful' with many chieftaincy, ethnic and political hotspots and asked the media not to allow politicians to exploit those 'fault-lines' for political gains.

Monsignor Anthony Kornu, a Member of the Volta Regional Peace Council, said words played active roles in maintaining peace and charged the media to play its gate-keeping role effectively.

'We, as a people, must know how to handle words because they are sharper than the sword,' he explained. 'No matter how peaceful people are, the wrong use of words by a third party can destroy their peace.'

The Most Reverend Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, the Catholic Bishop of Ho, the Chairman of the Volta Regional Media Advisory Committee of the National Media Commission, in a speech read on his behalf, said it was not enough to talk about peace, but the citizenry ought to believe in it and work at it.

GNA