CULTURE OF SILINCE! The Economy Is In Wrong Direction, Yet The Media Are Silent Because It’s NPP Gov’t- William Boadi
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An Accra in the Greater Accra region based political analyst and educationist Mr Williams Boadi who is the Executive Director of Educate Africa Institute ( EAI) has observed that in recent years, the Ghanaian media landscape has become a battleground for political discourse, with journalists and media houses often playing a crucial role in shaping public opinion.
But said, currently a disturbing trend has emerged which is a palpable bias and selective criticism that undermines the very essence of objective journalism.
Speaking to our corresponding in an exclusive telephone interview from Accra, Mr Boadi said many journalists and media houses appear to be myopic and hypocritical, often scrutinizing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government with an intensity that is glaringly absent when it comes to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
This bias he indicated, is not only unfair but also detrimental to the country’s democratic fabric.
According to him the NDC, during its tenure, faced relentless criticism from the media on various fronts as every policy, decision, and misstep was dissected with surgical precision, and the government was held accountable for its actions.
This level of scrutiny is essential in a democracy, as it ensures transparency and keeps the government on its toes, he pointed out.
He stressed however that, the same media houses and journalists who were once vocal critics have now adopted a more subdued tone under the current NPP administration, despite the evident economic challenges and governance issues.
Mr Boadi noted that Ghana’s economy is currently grappling with significant problems: rising inflation, high unemployment rates, and a depreciating currency are just a few of the issues that have led to widespread public discontent, yet, the media’s response has been disappointingly muted.
The critical voices that once championed the cause of the ordinary Ghanaian seem to have been silenced or are choosing to look the other way adding that this selective criticism raises questions about the integrity and independence of Ghanaian journalism.
He noted that media’s role in a democracy is to act as the fourth estate, holding power to account irrespective of the ruling party..
When journalists and media houses fail to maintain this impartiality, they betray the trust of the public and compromise their credibility, Boadi reiterated.
He said the current silence on the part of many media outlets regarding the NPP government’s handling of the economy is a stark example of this betrayal.
Hypocrisy in the media is not just a matter of selective criticism but also of selective silence and that by not addressing the NPP government’s failures with the same vigor as they did the NDC’s, the media is implicitly condoning these failures, the EAI official underscored.
Mr. William Boadi stated that the media silence can be interpreted as tacit approval, which can embolden the government to continue on a path that may not be in the best interest of the country.
Moreover, this myopic approach to journalism diminishes the media’s role as a watchdog, opining that when journalists focus disproportionately on one political party while giving another a free pass, they create an unbalanced narrative that misleads the public.
This imbalance he continued can skew public perception and influence electoral outcomes, ultimately undermining the democratic process.
Ghanaian journalists and media houses need to reclaim their role as impartial arbiters of truth and must hold all governments accountable, regardless of political affiliation.
This requires a recommitment to the principles of fairness, accuracy, and objectivity, since the media is the voice of the voiceless, the watchdog that guards against abuse of power, and the platform where diverse opinions can be heard.
Mr Boadi who was not comfortable with with the conduct of so some journalists and media houses posited that the current state of Ghanaian journalism, marked by hypocrisy and myopia, is a disservice to the nation and therefore charged the media to rise above partisan biases and ensure that their scrutiny is fair and balanced.
Only then can journalists truly fulfill their role in strengthening Ghana’s democracy and promoting good governance and cautioned that the silence must end, and the media must speak truth to power, regardless of who holds that power.
We’re one people. Ghana first.
Signed
William Boadi*
Educationist, Political analyst, and Social Worker.
+233541935106.
