President John Mahama has been given a 2016 deadline to pass a bill seen by media experts and industry players as a panacea to falling ethical standards in Ghana’s largely unregulated media.

The gentle remainder to the President was contained in a communiqué issued after a 3-day  National Conference on Broadcasting Pluralism held in Accra last month.

Participants mulled over Ghana media development 20 years after the first private radio station, Radio EYE broke state monopoly over the media in 1994.

Despite a marked improvement in media freedom, participants expressed worry over absence of transparency in frequency allocation by the National Communications Authority, the institutional weakness of the National Media Commission in punishing erring media houses and journalists and growing tendency for pornography and profane language especially in the local language media.

Looking into the next 20 years, the participants and resource persons want government to prepare the media for the challenges ahead by passing the Broadcasting Bill and Right to Information Bill.

Director of the School of Communications Studies University of Ghana, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo noted during the conference.

“We need a comprehensive law that can address the complex question of broadcasting regulations in today’s environment, where with the advance of technology, information and communications are converging.  For example how to deal with the novel challenges of regulating internet broadcasting and the social media, while enabling the freedoms that these media provide humanity”,

The participants were also disturbed by some aspects of the bill and called for amendments.

“The Bill in its present form seeks to give to the Executive, power and control over broadcasting in the event of a State of Emergency but such provisions could be abused and needs to be revisited and reviewed”, the communiqué said.

President Mahama who attended the conference’s opening ceremony has reiterated his commitment to seeing the bills passed.

Read full communique below

COMMUNIQUE issued by Participants to the National Conference on Broadcasting Pluralism; Press Freedom & Democratic Governance in Ghana; 20 years after Radio EYE

Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, CEO, Radio EYE

ROAD MAP

We, the participants at the National Conference on Broadcasting Pluralism Press Freedom & Democratic Governance, held in Accra from the 19^th -21^st November 2014, having deliberated on developments in Ghana’s Broadcasting Industry over the past 20 years, and having looked forward tothe challenges for the next 20 years, hereby resolve that:

1. The Public’s access to accurate, reliable and informed information, which is facilitated by a Plural Broadcasting environment and a Free Press, is the bedrock of sustained and Democratic Governance in Ghana. Thus there is the need for an expeditious passage and Presidential assent of the BROADCASTING & RIGHT TO INFORMATION BILLS at least one year ahead of the next General Election in 2016.

 

1. There is an urgent need for better and enforceable codes of conduct and the highest standards of performance in   Ghana’s broadcasting environment to arrest and reverse the fast deteriorating quality of professionalism, ethical conduct and low quality of output . This can be achieved by broadcasting industry strengthening existing rules of engagement  and instituting  training schemes to upgrade the skills of practitioners, but above all ensuring that  the industry operates to the best standards at all times;

 

1. Conference noted that Ghana is set to migrate from the Analogue to Digital Broadcasting Platform by June 2015. It is a move that presents many opportunities as well as challenges to the industry and regulators. There is thus the need to ensure that whatever rules and regulations emerge is flexible and adaptable to the changing environment and technologies

 

1. We support the establishment of an independently-funded and managed Media Fund that provides loans to Ghana’s broadcasting industry on concessionary terms.

 

SYNTHESIS OF KEY ISSUES THAT INFORMED RESOLUTIONS  

A.     Broadcasting Bill

• There is an urgent need to regulate programme content, as well as clarify and define the roles of the key institutions concerned with the broadcast media, the National Media Commission, which has the responsibility to safeguard the freedom and independence of the mass media; and the National Communication Authority established to regulate and manage the use of radio frequencies. 

• There is the need to address the institutional, infrastructural and financial capacities facing the National Media Commission to ensure it is able to retain its  independence and effectiveness to perform its functions as set out in the Bill;

• The Bill in its present form seeks to give to the Executive, power and control over broadcasting in the event of a State of Emergency but such provisions could be abused and needs to be revisited. Reviewed.

• The validity period for broadcasting authorization may pose some challenges to business interests as the five-years for radio and nine-years for TV may not be the interest of investors. There should more engagement with stakeholders in that area.

•  There should be more clarity on the function and powers of the Broadcast Authorisation Committee and Broadcast Standards Committee;

• Clause 56 and 57 that deal respectively with of the objects and functions of GBC should be reviewed;

• The Bill should regulate content to ensure that it does not   promote   negative consequences, such as the incitement to ethnic, religious or sectional hatred and disaffection. Information given in programmes should be presented accurately. Language likely to encourage or incite crime should be checked. Material likely to adversely affect the sensitivities and sensibilities of children should be avoided.

 

B.    Training & Standards:

• Users of radio frequencies must be held accountable if they use the public good is used in any form other  than for the purpose of promoting the public interest;

• practitioners must adhere to professional and ethical norms as well as values so as to make the broadcast media regain and maintain its fast eroding credibility and public confidence;

• The best practices used elsewhere where media practitioners are held to account by their professional bodies for consistent ethical breaches and low professional standards,  should be studied and adopted as appropriate,

• There is a particular worry about the blurring of the distinction between presenters, who are seen by the public as trusted sources, and advertisers, who are in the business of commercial persuasion.  The growing use of and dangers of Live Presenter Mentions (LPMs) needs better regulation 

• The criteria for membership of professional associations such as the Ghana Journalists Association, must include  requirements that promote and sustain professional  practice and standards at all times; seen and accepted by  all as desirable benefits of membership and guarantor of best practice.

• The National Accreditation Board must review and enforce regulations for the establishment of training institutions and continuously monitor the quality of delivery and output of these institutions. Specifically, the NAB should ensure that no accredited institution is allowed to offer training and their certification is not recognised.

C.    Emerging technologies and the way forward

• The issue of who is a broadcaster is in an age of digital migration should be thoroughly studied and clearly defined.

• Even as government is the prime investor in infrastructure for the digital platform, it is essential that management and regulation of the platform be completely independent of governmental control as such a development may have very serious implications for press freedom.

• The migration to the digital platform must be managed in a manner that ensures that the poorest and most vulnerable are assisted to make the transition and not left behind on account of high costs .

• Broadcasting professionals should become more actively  but responsively engaged on social media and the new platforms of the internet to stay abreast of the changing dynamics  of content accession by modern day audiences, especially the youth

• Community radio stations which operates as not-for-profit radio stations must be assisted both financially and materially to meet the challenges of migration to stay abreast and relevant to the communities they serve.
• There is the need for intensified education on the move to the Digital platform and its implications for both Broadcasting practitioners and the general public o forestall any confusion and lack of clarity during the migration;

 

1.  

We make the above resolutions and observations as participants who have practiced in and observed the evolution of Ghana’s Broadcasting environment over the past 20 years when private involvement in the industry started.

We have also been informed by the current state of the industry and emerging challenges for the industry specifically and the requirements to continue deepening democratic governance in Ghana over the next 20 years and beyond.

Conference pledges to work closely with all interested parties, government, practitioners and civil society organizations, to ensure that the next 20 years of broadcasting in Ghana will witness higher standards and professionalism that delivers true pluralism, consolidates press freedom and above all restore the public’s confidence in the enormous potential of broadcasting to promote the public good and the cohesive development of our country. 

GRATITUDE

The organisers and participants to the National Broadcasting Conference express their profound thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the President, John Dramani Mahama, for opening the conference and delivering a very thought provoking keynote address. 

We are pleased to recognise the contributions of the resource persons for their time and insightful contributions which greatly enriched the proceedings.

We acknowledge and are grateful to the many corporate bodies whose sponsorship contributed immensely to the successful organisation

We are especially grateful to Star-GHANA for its partnership and generous financial support to the Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options (GIPPO) and all the participants to the conference.

Issued in Accra

21 November 2014