The Deputy Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Nyamah, says it is unrealistic for the media landscape to not be polarised in a democracy such as Ghana's.

According to him, the current media landscape is a reflection of the Ghanaian people, and thus to depolarize it would be idealistic.

His comments were stated in a rejoinder to Sam Jonah’s “Down the up escalator – Reflections on Ghana’s future by a senior citizen” in which the astute businessman had bemoaned the polarisation and partisanship of the media in Ghana.

He had stated that “there is hardly any objectivity because a lot of the media stations are owned by politicians whose interest is in swaying voters one way or the other. Independent media practice seems to have faded and journalism has become a conveyor belt for political propaganda, insults, and acrimony.”

However, replying to Sam Jonah’s statement, Richard Nyamah said,”We as a people are generally intolerant and we need to work at it. The media landscape is a reflection of us as a people. The media are holding the mirror to us and if we don’t like what we see, we have to change it.

“It is unrealistic to expect neutral media. A polarized, partisan media is a biproduct of our system of democracy. To expect any different is myopic.

"The foremost media in the United States of America, FOX and CNN belong to Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner, republican and democrat respectively. There is hardly a neutral media out there today anywhere in the world.”

He stated that despite the polarization of the media in a democratic setting being the norm, media houses and media practitioners should be encouraged to uphold the highest standards of the profession in order to maintain peace and order.

He charged media regulatory bodies and authorities to lead the charge in professionalizing Journalism in Ghana.

“However, we should entreat our media houses to be decorous, patriotic and professional in their line of duty.

“Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) the Media Commission and National Communication Authority should however have a serious conversation on professionalising journalism in Ghana whilst setting up guidelines for content shown on our media including pornography, telenovelas, adverts, religious programs among others,” he said.