Media cautioned against being used as propaganda tool (23/02/09)

Story : Jennifer Dornoo
A retired diplomat, Mr K.B. Asante, has asked the media not to allow themselves to be used as propaganda tools, either for the government or other institutions.
He said as watchdogs, it was the duty of the media to expose the weaknesses of the government and state institutions to enable them to correct them in the interest of the people.
Mr Asante gave the advice at the launch of a new private newspaper, The Standard Times, last Friday.
The weekly paper, which is edited by Mr Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson, will report mainly on political issues and is expected to be on the news-stand from today, February 23, 2009.
“It is the duty of the independent media to expose the fallacies in the hidden propaganda of the government and the institutions,” he said.
Mr Asante explained that the media were relatively free but had to protect their independence, adding, “We the people should, therefore, realise that the media are not a mere entertainment institution but a medium for enlightenment and a tool for development.”
He noted that in a modern democratic society the media had to create a platform for people to learn about matters of public interest, adding that “the media has a role to play in national cohesion and the maintenance of the national conscience”.
He advised the editorial team of the newspaper to be professional in its reportage and noted that society needed papers with clear economic, social and political messages, with the effective propagation of moral values.
Mr De-Graft Johnson said the paper was a non-partisan newspaper which would also report on social and economic issues.
He pledged that it would engage in objective and truthful reportage.