The Ghana Journalists Association has cautioned journalists to be cautious in their media coverage of the simmering conflict between the Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfour Osei Tutu (II)and the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Agyeman Badu (II).
According to the GJA the highly sensitive issue between the two can degenerate into a conflict of “unthinkable proportions, if it is not handled with the highest degree of circumspection, especially by the media”.
A statement signed by the president of the association, Dr. Affail Monney, said that ” the sensational tilt and explosive angles which have characterized the coverage of the verbal exchanges should, therefore, give way to conflict-sensitive reporting which will allow tempers to cool down and the issue to be contained or resolved in the long run”.
Dr. Monney further added that traditional media editors and social media activists to filter any pronouncements from the two chiefs through a very tight weave of journalistic responsibility and gatekeeping…they should think through the consequences or weigh fully the implications of anything they put out on the matter”
This is to ensure that the public is fed with ethically wholesome and culturally edifying information which will not escalate the tension nor compromise the peace and security in the two traditional areas and by extension the entire nation.
The GJA finally encouraged the media to be part of resolving the dispute between the two chiefs instead of fueling a chieftaincy clash of staggering magnitude.
