Media law and ethics in ghana pdf

Why and when to use the media for conflict prevention and. Welcome to communications law and ethics, a class that is required for radford university communication students and that is also recommended for anyone interested in how freedom of speech and press is balanced with the responsibilities of public communication. Pdf journal of media ethics exploring questions of media morality. Criminal libel law in august 2001, which hitherto restricted press freedom owusu, 2011. The constitution and declaration of independence comprise the foundation upon which our nation is built. One would therefore not be surprised if ghana slips in the next ranking by reporters without borders, the international media advocacy and monitory group which carries out the annual ranking. The african media barometer agrees that this is a major pillar of media independence in ghana as it shields stateowned media organisations, as well as private media outlets, from political interference in their editorial process fes, 20. Media codes of ethics frequently, the lines are blurred between genuine codes of ethics and governmentenforced press codes. Traditional african cultural practices paved the way for foreign way of doing things as africans became fully westernised. Jls 712 media law and ethics below are the broader objectives for the course as a whole.

Indeed, the media can play very positive roles in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Morality for him is, simply, the observance of rules for the harmonious adjustment of the interests of. The board shall meet twice yearly to discuss issues relating to the activities of the three ethics committees. This is an edited version of a paper on international media ethics and reporting standards, presented at a seminar on media responsibility and accountability, organised by the national media commission with support from the undp for journalists in the ashanti and brong ahafo regions in kumasi on may 27, 2011. Students will also be exposed to the basic tenets of law that pertain to their professional work as media practitioners. With the introduction of the 1992 constitution which had ended. In 1994, the ghana journalists association gja developed and adopted its code of ethics, which has served the association well throughout the period. The ghanaian media holds good relations with foreign media, with many international journalists from western, african and asian organisations based in the capital, accra. However, with the proliferation of media types, it has become. For most of that time, he was a staff reporter and editor for the washington post. Programmes offered and admission requirements 1012 5.

Leader kwame nkrumah eventually controlled all the press in ghana and saw it as an instrument of state authority, providing propaganda that encouraged national unity and creating a hierarchal system of state apparatus to manage the media. Vision the wellbeing of all our people and the continuing vitality of our culture animate our vision of communication. Part 2 judicial conduct reporter summer 2017 a 2part article analyzing the advisory opinions and discipline decisions on social media and. Introduction to mass mediamedia law and ethics wikibooks. Media law and ethics equips the prospective journalism professional with the.

The law takes the view that nuisance has to be persistent and annoying to make it actionable. With africa subjugated and dominated, the western culture and european mode of civilisation began to thrive and outgrow african cultural heritage. Grounded in ethical theory, the public philosophies of communication and media performance norms, this text provides guidelines for individual ethical decisionmaking to media practitioners and media groups. It is indeed difficult to dissociate the legal and ethical basis of the professional duties of doctors. Morality and nature refers to a human being in relationship to nature. Kenya code of conduct for journalists and the mass media. Here are 5 critical areas to maintain ethical standards. Concept of media regulations across the world, media. It sought to assess the relationship between law and actions of corporate. Our people are the main agents of our national media policy. Ghana web featured a case study on the ethics of reporting. It regards all media and media services as a public trust. Power to break out of any house for purpose of liberation.

The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda setting in nigeria international journal of humanities social sciences and education ijhsse page 38 3. Subsequently, other countries in the sub region embraced the trade. Published quarterly, jmle seeks theoretical and analytical manuscripts that advance the understanding of media law and ethics in society. The influence of media ownership and control on media agenda. This text explores the dynamic and potentially explosive field of media ethics from a south african perspective. The policy broadly sketches the main national and global influences that have led to the present development of the media in ghana. Media ethics is the best division of applied ethics dealing with the specific ethical principles and. Totalitarian regimes saudi arabia, china, others and political extremists such as the altright claim that democracy does not work, and that. Kofi quashigah faculty of law university of ghana, legon introduction social context religion was and is still, to a large extent an integral part of the lifestyle of the african in the traditional environment. The medias orientation toward conflict media focus no media focus immediacy specific actions and events longterm processes and policies as in ongoing peace processes. However, with the proliferation of media types, it has become necessary to revise the code to meet the new challenges that have emerged in the intervening years. We will be looking at the concept of regulation, the constitutional provisions, the two regulatory agencies nmc and nca, and the gja code of ethics.

Ghana probably experienced its best time in its constitutional history for freedom of the media when the criminal libel law that had restricted press freedom and criminalised free speech for more than a century was repealed in august 2001. For instance, both law and medical ethics address to issues of confidentiality, euthanasia, abortion. Morality and law are not the same although of course they overlap. Its the law of the land and can be changed only by amendment as it has twentyseven times in our history, most recently in 1992. Recognising that freedom of speech is a basic element of a democratic society and that free and independent mass media are among the most important institutions in a. In some countries, such as china, press codes give lip service to journalistic independence while imposing constraints that require subservience to the ruling governments orthodoxy and policies. Constitutions bill of rights that guarantees freedoms of. The ghanaian media landscape who owns the media in ghana. Research ethics, freedom of research and society 8 1 the value of research and research ethics 8 2. Acts of ghana first republic criminal procedure code, 1960 act 30 arrangement of sections section part igeneral provisions procedure 1. Ethics laws, codes of ethics, and codes of conduct the major problem for implementing effective codes of ethics remains that no law or code will be of much value if individual civil servants lack the technical competence to recognise an ethics problem for what it is, or if they do not know what standards their organisation.

Ghana school of law students facilities and societies 67 3. This study on media ethics professionalism and coverage of the apo six killings investigated whether the media followed professional ethics of journalism practice as a benchmark in their coverage of apo six killings. Of ghana entitled data protection act, 2012 an act to establish a data protection commission, to protect the prnacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information, to provide the process to obtain, hold, use or disclose personal information and for related matters. Mar 17, 2020 in order to become a media lawyer, it is necessary to attend law school and complete a concentration in media law, an option which is not offered at all law schools. By meeting these objectives, you should consider yourself as having met the aims of the course. The interaction of law and ethics in medical practice despite their distinctive roles, law and medical ethics overlap in many areas. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study.

Pdf media ethics in journalism and mass communication. A comparative introduction to media laws and ethics where media laws and the issues of ethics are derived in constitutional societie the relevance of laws s and ethics to modern journalism the differencedistinction between objective journalism and the socalled yellow journalism. Law is not a necessary attribute of morality although morality may. This is a generic legal term that refers to the unmerited undermining of a persons reputation. The main aim of the relaunch of the gja code of ethics is to conscientize journalists to adhere to the ethics of their profession. Their wellbeing is both the goal of policy and the evidence of its efficacy. The study adopted the survey method of research while the instrument of data collection was the questionnaire. Pdf the issue of soli soli is a ghanaian journalistic parlance referring to the. Media law and ethics there was a time when criticizing the government or a political leader was illegal. Pdf investigative journalism in ghana, challenges and ethical. Dec 19, 2017 the institute for media and society is an independent, nongovernmental organization based in nigeria.

State, chief and the citizen aup law, governance, and development r. Mass media ethics are as important as ever in todays fastpaced, techdriven media world. The national committee for research ethics in the social sciences and the humanities nesh was appointed by the ministry of education, research and church affairs, and has been in operation since 1990. Law might be thought of as a public codification of morality for a culture, although certain laws in that system, or even the system itself, might be deemed immoral, e. The medias role in democracy and development chapter three 3. The gja code of ethics draft introduction in 1994, the ghana journalists association gja developed and adopted its code of ethics, which has served the association well throughout the period. Media law and ethics 106 journalism college, media. Constitutions bill of rights that guarantees freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and the. The first is print media, including newspapers, magazines, print advertising and so forth. This includes studying how media law and ethics designed for the media in real space have been transferred to cyberspace. Journalists are not hindered during their work, and information is. There are three general areas of interest within media law. As inserted by legal profession amendment decree 1967 nlcd 143 s.

Media, elections and political violence in eastern africa. Introduction the history and development of the mass media in ghana are inextricably linked to the countrys political history. The field covers many varied and highly controversial topics, ranging from war journalism to benetton ad campaigns. Communication law and ethics an opencontent course for. The gja code of ethics is a ready guide that is applicable to all categories of journalists working with. Media law and ethics is a comprehensive overview and a thoughtful introduction to media law principles and cases as well as related ethical concerns relevant to the practice of professional communication.

Sep 19, 2012 it is important to note that ethics are not laws. Page 4 of 10 the law contains several positive references to the important role of media in society, and expands legal protection for media freedoms and the rights of media workers. Meyer serves on the board of the freedom to write fund and is a member of. You can also refer to them during your study of the unit to check your progress. Printing presses regulation actprinting presses regulation law i the printing presses regulations act is a federal act for the regulation of printing presses and of books and newspapers printed in nigeria. Under colonialism, the newspaper was introduced and used more as a political tool to link the centre to the periphery than as a tool for the dissemination of information anokwa, 1997. Establishing journalistic standards in the ghanaian. Individual morality refers to individuals in relation to themselves and to an individual code of morality that may or may not be sanctioned by any society or religion. Some media laws in nigeria institute for media and society. The committees terms of reference include drawing up ethical guidelines for research. Media ethics is the best division of applied ethics dealing with the specific ethical principles and standards of media, including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media and the internet. It therefore holds that the public interest shall be paramount in the operation of all media, public, commercial and community.

Journalistic ethics may conflict with the law over issues such as the protection of confidential news sources. Such discourse has found its way into african ethics. Submissions may have a legal, historical, or social science orientation, but must focus on media law or ethics. The media s orientation toward conflict media focus no media focus immediacy specific actions and events longterm processes and policies as in ongoing peace processes. List of best media houses in ghana, top media houses in ghana, media houses near me, best media houses. The future of media law and ethics seems shaky as more loopholes are created. Nuisance this is where you might stake out someone in their home. This page contains listing of free law books online textbooks and tutorials they are downnloadable or for viewing online in the html pdf zip chm or rar file formats. Buatsi 2003 corporate governance and corruption in ghana a report prepared for idrc crdi acmf cipe october 2003 mensah, s.

The operative question in media law and ethics is whether it is right to exercise the rights granted journalists and other media practitioners under the first amendment and the universal declaration of human rights. Ndonye is a scholar in journalism and mass communication from. Media ownership patterns the ownership of the mass media namely. Social morality concerns a human being in relation to other human beings. Lhomme est ne libre, et partout il est dans les fers rousseau welcome to communications law and ethics, a class that is required for radford university communication students and that is also recommended for anyone interested in how freedom of speech and press is balanced with the responsibilities of public communication. The weight of this course is on the ethics of the media profession, although students will be exposed to some media law. Journal of media law and ethics university of baltimore. The very first session of the united nations general assembly in 1946 put it thus. In establishing the organization, we considered and were convinced of such issues as. Besides, the 1992 constitution of ghana has given so much freedom and some perceived immunity to the media that some journalists are increasingly abusing it. Almase, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and imposition of discipline nevada commission on judicial discipline october 22, 2018.

School of governance, law and society, tallinn university. The social, cultural and linguistic roles of research 8 3. Ghana and media ethics ghana s current position as africas most conducive country for the exercise of media freedom is under threat. This is the fi rst textbook to explicitly integrate both media law and ethics within one volume. The performance of the media should also ensure the preservation of law and order and provide the platform for free expression for all citizens, and not only the. The report examines how codes of ethics can serve to raise journalistic standards and what challenges. Meyer is an awardwinning washington, dcbased freelance journalist who spent four decades in daily journalism. Media codes of ethics center for international media. Media law and ethics school of journalism and mass. Medical law in ghana international encyclopaedia for medical law, pp. Western culture now is regarded as frontline civilisation. Everyone who uses the media needs to understand media law because new technologies make it possible for individuals to reach very large audiences.

Media codes of ethics the center for international media assistance cima at the national endowment for democracy commissioned this study about the use and influence of codes of ethics in international news media. This cluster is designed for students interested in exploring, learning about, and getting involved in the fascinating world of freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of expression on which democracy is based. Challenges and prospects in the 21st century article in african and asian studies 22. The national freedom of information coalition, foi audits. Introduction to communications law communication law and ethics. Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested. Media codes of ethics center for international media assistance. This paper examined some aspects of the regulatory regime affecting corporate social responsibility csr in ghana.