President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned journalists against deliberately searching for scandals where none exist, urging media practitioners to uphold professionalism and focus on issues that serve the public interest.
He said while the media has an important responsibility to hold government accountable, journalists must exercise their mandate with civility and decorum.
Speaking at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards, President Mahama said journalists and government officials must work together in the interest of the public.
“As a trained journalist myself, I believe that it pushes the limits of media zealotry when a journalist publicly challenges a minister to call into his show to expose him over a so-called discrepancy that the journalist has discovered,” he stated.
He added that the government’s commitment to media freedom does not mean that journalists should deliberately create controversies around issues where no wrongdoing has occurred.
“This government that I lead will uphold the media’s mandate to hold government to account. But it distracts attention from the people’s business when we split hairs in a deliberate search for scandals where none exist,” he said.
President Mahama also urged journalists to apply the same standards of evidence when reporting on the government, opposition and other individuals involved in public debates.
He encouraged media houses to give people accused of wrongdoing a fair opportunity to respond and to make corrections easily accessible whenever errors are identified.
The President further called on editors to look beyond daily political exchanges and pay greater attention to sectors such as agriculture, tourism, entertainment, culture and business.
He said journalism should focus more on issues affecting the daily lives of Ghanaians, including poor roads, access to healthcare and employment opportunities.
The 30th GJA Media Awards was held under the theme: “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age.”
