The July 2024 edition of the Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) monitoring of indecent language on radio – ahead of Ghana’s December 2024 general elections – reports that show hosts from stations aligned with the leading opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), are the worst offenders of abusive language on radio.
In the report, Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah, the host of The Citizen Show on pro-NDC station Accra FM, once again emerged as the lead offender, as he did in the June 2024 report. He recorded 30 infractions out of the total 62 documented for the month, accounting for nearly half of the violations in July. Following him were Oheneba Boamah Benie (6) and Mugabe Maase (4), hosts on Power FM, another pro-NDC station.
The July report, covering the period from July 1 to July 31, 2024, documented 62 instances of indecent expressions across ten radio stations. The report identified insults and offensive comments (39) and unsubstantiated allegations (17) as the most frequently used categories of indecent expressions. It also recorded two infractions each for provocative comments and expressions containing tribal slurs. These violations arose from discussions on elections, corruption, political party activities, conflicts, demonstrations, and general development issues.
While the monitoring of indecent language includes comments from all individuals appearing on radio shows – such as political communicators, politicians, non-political guests, callers, and texters – it is alarming that show hosts, who are duty-bound by media ethics to ensure decent language on the airwaves, are emerging as the worst offenders. This raises significant concerns about the role of media hosts in exacerbating tensions during this critical election period.
In addition to traditional broadcast violations, the report also draws attention to the widespread amplification of these indecent expressions through social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. This digital proliferation increases the reach and potential impact of such harmful rhetoric, further endangering the peace and stability of the nation.
The MFWA recommends that political leaders advocate for issue-based discussions, radio stations enforce professionalism and respectful discourse, program moderators set clear rules for decorum, and regulatory bodies strengthen mechanisms to promote media professionalism.
The full report is available here.