The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, has urged the media to be vanguards against tendencies that may compromise the peaceful conduct of the political campaign and the December election. Speaking at the 17th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards ceremony in Accra Saturday, he said like prophets and prophetism, journalists were social prophets, while journalism was social prophetism. Using an ancient and yet popular social and religious category to articulate his thoughts, Cardinal Turkson said journalists, like prophets, were entrusted with the responsibility to teach new things and remind the people of old things; denounce and criticise the evil, irreligious and bad conducts of the people. Mr Manasseh Azure Awuni, a freelance journalist, was adjudged the 2011 Journalist of the Year in recognition of his hard work and creativity in bringing out relevant issues through his work. Peter Cardinal Turkson said the media had a responsibility to denounce harmful and under-hand practices, cultivate civil politics without rancour and uphold a national vision that was integrated, all with the view to promoting peace and good governance. “After all, good governance is greatly helped when troublesome issues are identified and early so that collective action can be taken to remedy threats that could lead to any form of instability,” he said. Peter Cardinal Turkson said journalists, as social prophets, were required to encourage their people in tough, desperate and challenging situations, while interceding for the people, tracing and helping them see the path of forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and justice. He said it was, however, unfortunate that the media, especially the print media, had caused political and social divisions in the country with almost all the private newspapers receiving financial support from organisations or individuals who were identified with political parties. “The print media have, therefore, lost their objectivity and tend to promote political and social divisions. They have been a distraction for public appointees, who have to spend considerable time dealing with press-generated controversies,” he remarked. He advised the media to be fair in their reportage and “discontinue insults and incendiary remarks about persons”. Cardinal Turkson underscored the need for transparency in political party funding, considering credible evidence that financiers of political parties remained anonymous although they consisted of local and foreign businessmen and even foreign governments. “The result has been that the award of contract has been influenced by these considerations,” he noted. Cardinal Turkson expressed concern about the “Winner Takes All” political system, saying that there was increasing perception that politics was retarding or even reversing the country’s material, cultural and spiritual progress. “Our sense of nationhood is being compromised by extremely partisan approach to certain sensitive issues. For example, ethnicity is gradually being promoted by political behaviour,” he indicated. He said there was even increasing disenchantment with singing the national hymns that affirmed the nation’s or people’s ownership of their land. “Why should Ghanaian ‘galamsey’ workers be chased and shot at for prospecting for gold, while foreigners are admitted to do the same under the brandishing of AK47 rifles? Do the National Security Office and the Ministry of the Interior know about their presence in the country? And does the police have these assault rifles registered?” he wondered. Cardinal Turkson stressed the need to address some critical national interests, such as unemployment and partisanship in matters that are purely criminal. On the December election, he said there was no doubt that the introduction of the biometric registration and verification equipment would improve significantly the electoral process. He, however, noted that there were credible reports that political groups were planning actions aimed at turning the process to their benefit through massive bribery and compromise of electoral officers, massive bribery of voters during three days preceding the voting, instigating of challenges to cause delays, declaration of rival results and late delivery of electoral materials to create long queues and frustration.