New and Traditional Media Must Be Held to the Same Standards – Sam George

Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has called for equal regulatory standards for both traditional and new media platforms to safeguard ethical broadcasting and protect Ghana’s democracy.

Speaking at the Africa Media Bureau’s high-level forum at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Friday, September 26, the minister said new media is an important complement to traditional outlets in education, entertainment, and information sharing. However, he stressed that it must not operate outside established rules.

“It is wholly unacceptable and undemocratic for us to apply different standards to new and traditional media,” he stated, clarifying that his call was not for censorship but for fair regulation to curb misinformation, protect reputations, and maintain integrity in broadcasting.

Sam George acknowledged the rights of media outlets to exercise editorial independence but insisted that his ministry has a duty to ensure responsible broadcasting. “The media cannot be the Wild West where baseless allegations are spread for clickbait,” he cautioned.

Quoting Kwame Nkrumah, he urged collective responsibility in protecting democracy and condemned fraudulent schemes by fake religious leaders and the rise of pornographic content disguised as entertainment. “There must be sanity on our airwaves. We cannot put today’s profit ahead of tomorrow’s sanity,” he stressed.

Looking forward, the minister outlined five priorities for Ghana’s media sector:

1. Compliance with Authorisation Conditions – enforcing licensing rules and sanctioning violators.

2. Digital Convergence and Hybrid Delivery – updating regulations to reflect terrestrial, satellite, and internet broadcasting.

3. Capacity and Content Development – boosting local content, fact-checking, and media literacy.

4. Technology Adoption – promoting modern tools for content creation and distribution.

5. Regional Cooperation and Benchmarking – learning from best practices to strengthen Ghana’s media landscape.