General News of Wednesday, 20 August 2014

Source: starrfmonline.com

Mahama fumes over “irresponsible” social media use

President John Mahama is fuming over the “irresponsible” use of social media to spread “fear and panic” in Ghana.

His anger follows a recent anonymous voice message circulated on Whatsapp, which claimed political powers in the country had conspired with health workers to cover up the entry of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in the oil-producing nation.

Such abuse of social media is “absolutely unacceptable," President Mahama said Tuesday after he broke ground for the reconstruction of a sugar factory at Komenda in the Central Region.

“This is not the first time," Mahama said, recalling how a similar alarming and anonymous earthquake alert, which was widely circulated on social media, sparked “fear and panic” in the country more than a year ago.

The President, therefore, urged Chiefs and traditional leaders to preach against the abuse of social media.