[ 2012-06-29 ]

Statement: Indecent expressions on radio reduce significantly
Week 12 of the Media Foundation for West Africa’s
(MFWA) monitoring of indecent expressions on radio
shows a significant reduction in the use of
indecent expressions.

The latest findings which covered June 17-23, 2012
recorded a total of five indecent expressions. All
the indecent expressions were made on five
different radio stations. Again, supporters of the
two major political parties in the country, the
ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the
main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), were
the main culprits in the use of the indecent
expressions.

While supporters of the NDC made three of the
indecent expressions, the NPP followed closely
with two. Fred Agbenyo, a member of the NDC
Communications Team, and Matthew Opoku Prempeh, an
NPP Member of Parliament for Manyhia, were among
those found to have used indecent expressions
during the period.

This is the second time that less than 10 indecent
expressions have been recorded since the beginning
of the monitoring exercise in April 2012. The
first was during Week Four (April 22 to28, 2012)
of the monitoring where nine indecent expressions
were recorded.

Male supporters/members of the ruling National
Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main opposition
New Patriotic Party (NPP) were the main culprits
in the use of indecent expressions. During the
week in focus, no female was captured to have used
an indecent expression. Specifically also, there
was no gender-related indecent expression, the
same as the previous week.

Monitoring language-use on radio is a project by
the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with
funding from STAR-Ghana. The project is aimed at
ensuring issues-based and decent language
campaigning in this year’s polls. It involves
daily monitoring of language/ expressions by
politicians and activists on specific programmes
on 31 selected radio stations across the country.


General Findings on Expressions used

A total of 62 reports were received on programmes
monitored on the 31 radio stations selected for
the project. Indecent expressions were captured on
five of the programmes and these were made up of
three unsubstantiated allegations, one provocative
remark and one innuendo. They were all made on
political discussion programmes aired in the
morning.

The MFWA is encouraged that the level of indecent
expressions on radio has reduced significantly for
the twelfth week of monitoring. It is hoped that
this trend will continue so that the electoral
campaigns will be issues-based.

The MFWA is also encouraging moderators to
continue to handle their programmes with
professionalism by insisting on the use of decent
expressions by persons who appear on their
programmes at all times.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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