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Minister of Communications advises journalists against defamatory stories

The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has advised journalists to desist from using their mediums in publishing defamatory stories.

According to her, this would curtail the spread of false news, and uphold the status of the media as a watchdog.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful made the appeal at the inauguration of the state of the art broadcasting training studio for Wisconsin International University College (WIUC), yesterday in Accra.

The Minister indicated that the media’s role was to assist the citizenry to be abreast with authentic, accurate and fair information.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said, however, the spate of online journalism has resulted in many bloggers circulating fake news, which were been used by mainstream media outlets in publishing inaccurate stories.

She underscored the need for the media to produce contents that would project good image of the country to the world, without bringing the nation to disrepute as the election was creeping.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said “how many times will we hide behind the anonymity of social media and spread fake news? Next year is an election year, we should be able to sanitise the airwaves and social media platforms, to avert the causing of fear and panic.”

She called on journalists to conform to the country’s libel law, and urged WIUC lecturers to teach communication students to embrace ethics of the profession of journalism.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful lauded the WIUC for introducing communication course, and pledged her outfit’s support to build infrastructure, saying this would create an opportunity for the youth to actualise their full potentials.

Professor Kwame Karikari, Dean of WIUC, said that the studio would help broaden the horizon of students, in order to meet the changing demands of the job market.

He said the studio was equipped with top-notch multimedia equipment, adding that much effort had been put in place to train students in ethical journalism, to prevent the spreading of inaccurate information.

The Vice Chancellor of WIUC, Prof. Obeng Mireku, said the facility would not only provide students with practical learning experience, but would also provide them with competitive edge in the globalised labour market.

He stated that the University College has for the past 19 years invested in modern facilities and professional lecturers, who through their teaching exposed learners to greater opportunities as entrepreneurs.

BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE

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