The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has appealed to the media to seek its views before filing stories and comments on issues regarding the forthcoming Housing and Population Census.
This is necessary to protect the sanctity of the Census, given its national and international importance.
Mr Charles Klutse of the Census Secretariat, made the appeal at a sensitization workshop for the Media in the Volta region in Ho on Wednesday.
Mr Klutse said public and international perception regarding the accuracy and reliability of the outcome of the Census would rely largely on
the Media, saying, �Alert us to any problems.�
He appealed to FM stations in the regions to offer airtime to officials of the GSS to enable them to explain issues about the Census.
Mr Klutse appealed to the citizenry to give accurate information to the Census Enumerators (EAs), to make the data reliable, saying, �We are
appealing for the facts.�
He said although it would be a criminal offence to give false information to the EAs, the GSS could not prosecute such people but rely on
their goodwill.
The Volta Regional Statistician, Mrs Hanu Okantey, said �An important fact is that, the understanding of the public about the census exercise and what it entails is critical to the general perceptions and overall judgment of the public about the quality of the census and assessment of its completeness.�
�Our partnering with the media will be a great resource in this information campaign and would need to be an integral part of the census
publicity programme in your district.� she said.
Some media practitioners however expressed reservations regarding the exclusion of the media from the Regional and District Census Committees.
They observed that it was not enough to include the media on the National Census Committee because the challenges of the Census are in the �nook and cranny� of the regions and the districts.