The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has called for equal regulatory standards to govern both new and traditional media platforms.
Addressing a media forum organized by the Africa Media Bureau at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Friday, September 26, Mr. George described it as “wholly unacceptable and undemocratic” for new media to operate under different standards from conventional broadcasting.
He explained that any platform engaged in broadcasting must comply with the same ethical and operational requirements that guide traditional media. “This is not about censorship,” he clarified, “but about regulation. I will not regulate what you publish—that is your democratically protected editorial discretion. My mandate is to regulate how that discretion is broadcast.”
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The Minister warned against allowing Ghana’s media landscape to become a “Wild West,” where reputations are destroyed by unverified claims made for attention and profit. He stressed the need for a coordinated “regulatory whip” to protect democracy, public order, and national values.
Mr. George outlined key areas that require immediate action:
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Religious Charlatans: Ending the activities of so-called “men of God” promoting dubious schemes.
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Illegal Financial Practices: Eliminating broadcasts that promote money-doubling and get-rich-quick schemes.
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Indecent Content: Stopping sexually explicit material presented as adult relationship shows.
Quoting Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, from Neo-colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, the Minister noted: “If by their fruits we shall know them, then they must first grow the fruits.”
He urged media stakeholders to adopt a clear roadmap to sanitize the airwaves, stressing that “tomorrow’s sanity must be valued above today’s profit.”
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem