The media has a crucial role to play in the developmental process of any country because it has the important task to provide information on all aspects of life and to expose ills within society with the objective of correcting those ills as well as helping to educate a nation. In carrying out this task the media should be guided by the principles of responsible journalism which are based on fundamental principles such as truth, balance, accuracy, proper research and investigation and sensitivity to delicate issues of ethnicity, culture and national security and respect for the code of ethics.

P.A.V Ansah in his insightful article ‘Ghana: What is responsible journalism’ offers: “Responsible journalism is also one that strictly adheres to the professional code of ethics. It is also one that respects the rights of others and accepts to publish rejoinders from people who feel genuinely aggrieved by the articles written about them. It is also one that for the sake of accuracy, calls a spade a spade rather than a digging implement. Responsible journalism is also one which seeks to influence, reflect and mould public opinion. It is also one which has as one of its aims to act as the voice of the voiceless and the marginalised and socially handicapped.”

Of course it is inevitable that individual media entities would have their political views/alliances/ideology. This is understandable. In fact it is only human. However, that should not allow media entities to descend into unprofessionalism and “gutter journalism.” Regardless of their political views there should be a rigid adherence to responsible journalism because any deviation from this could have telling and sometimes indelible consequences on the future of a nation. We are well aware of the role the media played in the dreaded Rwanda genocide and that horror story and many others should be a lesson not only for the media but entire humanity.

Media practitioners must realise and accept that their roles go far beyond informing educating and entertaining. Actually they have a crucial role in the national development of their respective countries especially with respect to help building an atmosphere of trust, stability and peace, particularly in plural societies.

P.A.V Ansah puts it lucidly: “A responsible press in a developing country has great responsibilities beyond informing, educating and entertaining. It should be an instrument for promoting development and ensuring popular participation in the decision-making process which alone can secure the personal commitment and devotion to the development process and secure wholehearted co-operation and support. The proponents of this position ought to be reminded that even poor and hungry people should have the recognized right to say loudly and clearly that they are hungry and responsible press becomes the channel through which they articulate their plight.”

“Responsible journalism is one that accepts its watchdog role and acts as a champion of the rights of the people. Some people have even gone to the extreme, arguing that it is not enough for the press to behave objectively in co-operation with the government. They want the press to declare itself to be in an adversarial role on a constant basis because that is the work of the watchdog. I think this is a prejudiced, extremist and untenable stance which will eventually undermine the credibility of the paper which will be perceived to be biased and unfair.”

“On the other hand, responsible journalism is not one that takes the opposite stand and says that for stability and the need not to compound the work of the government, there should be no criticism or that it should be muted as much as possible. The situation is not defensible or tenable either and a middle course that aims at balance and fairness can be plotted. The commitment should be to the truth as perceived by the journalist, no more and no less, as any deviation from this will also certainly subvert the credibility of the paper.”

Unfortunately, in our country some sections of the media, particularly in more recent times, have been guilty of deviating from the path of responsible journalism for narrow and selfish purposes.

This is not a healthy development for our young nation and therefore all media houses should make a concerted effort to adopt the principles of responsible journalism to thereby enhance the harmonious development of this country.