Friday , March 29 2024

NCA’s lack of transparency cause of foul language in media – Prof. Kakari

A former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has blamed the National Communication Authority (NCA) for the recent spate of foul language on media platforms in the country.

Professor Kwame Kakari says the lack of transparency in the operations of the NCA is primary to be blamed for uncouth comments in the media.

“The NCA’s provision of radio frequencies in the country is not transparent creating more problems for us,” he said.

The communication lecturer at the School of Communication, University of Ghana made these comments on Joynews/MultiTV’s news analysis programme, PM Express, in reaction to the recent threats issued to some Supreme Court judges by two panelists on an Accra-based radio station, Muntie FM.

Two panelist on Muntie FM, Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn issued threats to some Supreme Court judges over the court case on the electoral roll which is before them. Alistair Tairo Nelson is reported to have said he knows the house of some of the judges and that if they fail to do what he wants, he will surely murder them.

A day after the issue generated much tension in the country, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) says the duo walked into its offices and turned themselves in to aid with investigation of the threat.

The station manager of Muntie FM was also invited to aid the BNI with investigations. The two have been cited for contempt of court and were summoned to explain their threat and the circumstances that necessitated it.

In a surprising u-turn the management of the station had issued a letter dissociating itself from the comments of the two men and has promised to prevent such incident in the future.

The cake of blame has been shared between the panelists and the host of the programme, but the communication expert believes it could be expanded.

Professor Kakari says the situation has come about because the NCA has failed to make public personalities behind most of the radio stations in Ghana.

“We must know that in Ghana today there are two kinds of media and therefore two kinds of media owners,” he said.

Drawing the differences, he said: “There are people who set up radio stations to produce news, basically to produce news and there is also another set of owners who set up radio stations for the sole purpose of political propaganda.”

He asserted the problem is those who establish radio stations for the sole purpose of spreading propaganda.

He encouraged the NCA to aspire to be transparent in how it gives frequencies to persons interested in establishing a rado.

Check Also

NDC MPs ‘commission’ uncompleted National Cathedral

Some Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, have …