Ghanaian media urged to promote peaceful elections

The Ghana Section of Amnesty International, an impartial and non political human rights organisation on Thursday, advised the Ghanaian media to play an effective role in promoting peaceful elections in December.      "Democracy, whether internal or external, thrives on tolerance and respect for opposing views. The absence of these is petty argument, which "graduates into serious quarrels, leading to fights and culminating in violence.      "Messages disseminated by the media can be conveying peace messages or sounding war drums"      This was contained in a communiqué issued and signed by Michael Brigandi, Director of the Amnesty International Ghana, at the end of a roundtable discussion on the role of newspaper reporters and editors, to ensure peaceful elections in 2008.      It advised news editors and reporters to desist from subjective reporting and one sided publication.      "Reporters and news editors should avoid inflammatory and misleading headlines. News editors and reporters should avoid false statements and inappropriate use of words when commenting on sensitive issues.      "Panellists on discussion programmes should not comment on issues they are not conversant with," the communiqué said.      It called on Amnesty International Ghana and other civil society organisations to be involved in sensitising the public and political parties on the way forward to peaceful, free and fair elections.      "Amnesty International Ghana is urging the National Media Commission (NMC), Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Ministry of the Interior to collaborate in their activities to ensure that Ghana goes through a peaceful, free and fair elections" It said.       The communiqué concluded that democratic elections can only be said to have taken place when it is free and fair, with the electorate remaining alive and healthy after exercising their franchise. GNA