The Minister for Information, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has suggested the need for communication and media schools in the country to introduce a course on conflict reporting.

This, he said would enable journalists and media practitioners acquire skills on best practices in conflict reporting.

Mr Hamid who was speaking at the launch of a manual on conflict-sensitive coverage at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) in Accra on Thursday, June 22, 2017 said: “all journalism schools should have a course on conflict reporting."

Titled, “Conflict-Sensitive Coverage: A Manual for Journalists Reporting Conflict in West Africa”, the manual was produced by the School of Information and Communication Studies of the University of Ghana in collaboration with the LECIAD, with support from the African Peacebuilding Network (APN).

Background

The information contained in the manual is based on a two-day workshop organised in 2016 on “Improving Media Coverage of Conflict and Peacebuilding in West Africa” for some selected journalists from six West Africa countries - Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone by the School of Information and Communication Studies.

The manual is intended to offer a guide to editors and journalists working in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries in West Africa.

It also offers a sound basis for practitioners reporting conflict to transcend the dichotomies that characterise reports on conflict by prioritising the virtues of balance, equity, accuracy and constructive conflict transformation.

Conflict reporting

According to Mr Hamid, the manual would help to enhance the knowledge and understanding of journalists and media practitioners reporting on conflicts in Ghana and Africa as a whole.

He therefore, commended LECIAD, APN and School of Information and Communication Studies for coming out with the manual

Speaking at the event, the Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, who also edited the manual advised journalists reporting on conflicts to do so with the aim of promoting peace.

She said journalists and media practitioners functioned in different capacities in conflicts, adding that journalists and media practitioners served as interpreters, facilitators, catalysts and mediators of conflicts, hence the need for them to learn the best practices that would help prevent conflict and promote peace in their societies.

The Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Mr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, said journalists could help avert possible conflicts when they report accurately on conflict-sensitive issues.

He expressed worry about some journalists and media houses that put money ahead of other considerations when reporting on conflict-sensitive issues.

He, however, advised journalists and media practitioners to refrain from reports that contribute to stereotypes, indicating that such reports inflame passions and promote conflicts and violence.

The Chairperson for the event, Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, said the manual would help to fill a missing gap in media practice in Ghana and Africa.

She said the manual would enable media practitioners, particularly journalists reporting on conflicts to better their understanding and scope in conflict reporting.

Launching the book, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, entreated journalists and media practitioners to report accurately, saying such reportage would help prevent conflicts in the country.

She expressed the hope that the manual would help improve conflict reporting in the country, thus promoting peace and harmony in the country.

The Programmes Director of APN, Dr Cyril Obi, in his remarks said the APN would continue to support projects that would help promote peace in the sub-region.

Source: graphic.com.gh