The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has topped the latest Language Monitoring Report conducted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) when it recorded 67 indecent expressions in three categories between August and September.
The party's affiliates used the most indecent expressions on radio, which was made up of 22 insulting/offensive comments, 16 unsubstantiated allegations, and 15 provocative remarks.
The Report, which was released by the MFWA at a forum for journalists in Tamale on Thursday, showed that the NPP recorded 38 indecent expressions, followed by the National Democratic Congress, with eight, the Progressive People’s Party and the Convention People’s Party, recorded three and two indecent expressions respectively.
The Report showed that out of 26 radio stations monitored across the country within the two-month period, 16 recorded indecent expressions, with Accra-based Oman FM topping the list with 23 indecent expressions, while Techiman-based Classic FM came second with 10 indecent expressions.
The forum, organized by the MFWA with support from STAR-Ghana, was to discuss media coverage of the 2012 election petition adjudication, the success, challenges and the way forward for covering similar events in future.
The Report showed that the punitive action by the Supreme Court, coupled with calls for peace by civil society organizations (CSOs) and the MFWA’s Language Monitoring, led to a decline in indecent expressions during the court preceedings.
It mentioned that after the ruling, there was a sharp rise in the use of indecent expressions on the airwaves.
While acknowledging that some radio programme moderators exhibited professionalism in handling their programmes, others were cited for failing to screen indecent expressions before reading them on air.
The Report, which marked the end to MFWA’s Language Monitoring, said even though the incidence of re-broadcast of indecent expressions was very low, a few radio stations were engaged in the practice.
Ms Dora Mawutor, Programme Officer, and Communication Research and Content Marketing of MFWA, commended the leadership of political parties and other CSOs for contributing to stem violence before during and after the adjudication of the election petition case.
Mr Kwasi Gyan-Appenteng, Member of the National Media Commission and President of the Ghana Association of Writers, lauded the media’s coverage of the election petition, saying it performed its functions effectively, bearing in mind the legal and political dimensions of the case.
Mr Gyan-Apenteng advocated capacity building for journalists reporting from the courts to ensure improved coverage of similar cases in future.
Dr Maurice Ampaw, President of the Legal Advocacy Foundation, who spoke on “Legal Perspectives on the Media’s Coverage of the 2012 Election Petition Adjudication and Post-Verdict Media Discussions,” said the petitioners' challenge to the outcome of the 2012 presidential election failed because the reliefs they sought at the Supreme Court were unfair, unreasonable and inequitable.
Source: GNA
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