Media reports portray Africa in a negative way

Accra, July 12, GNA - The African media have a duty to change the negative image created about the continent with their reportage to sell it in a positive way.

However, current media reports from Africa reinforced the already tarnished image of the continent by some international media, Dr Messan Mawugbe, Chief Executive Director of Centre for Media Analysis (CMA), a company that researches into the activities of the media, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday.

Commenting on a survey report by CMA, he said about 77 per of media reports on Africa between January and December 2005 were negative, adding, "it is high time the media in Africa reverse the trend of issues reported on by the international media".

He said the research indicated that civil war was the highest descriptive phrase of the continent, followed by corruption, hunger, HIV/AIDS and poverty in that order.

"Can we call such descriptions positive and better to sell the continent? If the media in Africa cannot stand up and change such descriptions, then I am sorry we still remain where we are," he said. Dr Mawugbe cautioned the Ghanaian media, especially those on the Internet to always crosscheck news stories before putting them on the Internet, noting such reports could portray the country in a negative manner.

Mr Yaw Owusu-Addo, Acting Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation said the Ghanaian media should use their position as the Fourth Estate of the realm to create good image about their country.

He noted that the Ghanaian population read and listened to whatever was published in the media and such negative reports should be avoided because they go to affect the position of the country on the international scene.