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Linda Asante Agyei, Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has advised media outlets to avoid declaring final results of the 2024 elections, highlighting that this responsibility rests solely with the Electoral Commission (EC).
Speaking at the launch of an SDG facility project by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development in collaboration with the Danish Embassy, aimed at enhancing climate reporting and safeguarding media freedom, Agyei emphasized the critical role of responsible journalism in preventing conflicts that could arise from misinformation.
She underlined the importance of the partnership between media houses and the EC, stating that journalists should only report provisional results until the EC officially certifies the final results.
“Our role is crucial to ensure we report accurately and responsibly, in cooperation with the Electoral Commission, which provides us with training to ensure adequate reporting,” Agyei noted.
She further clarified, “As media houses, we are not the authority to announce final election results; that is the EC’s mandate. We must collaborate with them, presenting only provisional results until the EC confirms the final outcomes.”
In addition to this, Rev. Mawuli Tsikata from the Citi FM project team discussed the SDG project’s efforts to ensure accurate reporting. These include utilizing AI tools to detect fake news and training journalists to counteract disinformation.
“Our project is primarily digital, aimed at enhancing online reporting. We are addressing challenges in journalism related to fake news, disinformation, and misinformation,” Tsikata explained.
“We are developing platforms to help journalists identify and report accurate news using AI tools. Additionally, we are creating a network of journalists and organizing webinars and training sessions to combat fake news,” he added.
