Participants at a round table discussion on the role of the media in Ghana have expressed worry over the increasing number of foreign telenovelas on the screens of Ghanaian households.
They argued that the screening of these telenovelas coupled with other foreign and local movies which contained scenes meant for only adults were a contributory factor that led to the decline of the moral values in the society.
The round table discussion was organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) as part of activities marking the 11th Constitutional Week celebration on the theme: “The State of Ghana’s Democracy 2011”.
The participants noted that unlike past television programs like “By the Fireside” and “Fun World”, which contained contents of education and entertaining the youth, telenovelas carried scenes of love and romance that were not good for children.
They said the times of between 1500 and 1700, at which the telenovelas were shown was equally bad as most parents who were supposed to be guarding their children would not be home around such times.
Mr Kwame Amoh, a social commentator, was also not happy with the over sensationalizing of issues on most media networks.
Alluding to a recent publication with the headline, “President Mills rejects Otumfuo’s Umbrella”, he noted that such comment had the tendency to foment trouble and appealed to the media to be circumspect in their reportage.
Mr Daniel Quaison, a civil servant, said the media should aim at promoting the national identity of the country rather than dividing its roots, “Do not let the repeal of the criminal libel law become a curse but rather it should be used positively for the development of Ghana”.
Mr Baron Amoafo, Deputy Commissioner, NCCE appealed to media practitioners to churn out quality and educating programs geared towards developing the country.