By Isaac Ato MENSAH
Accra – 29 December, 2018
If you are a media house and you do not have a written formal editorial policy, get one immediately!
Now that is both a warning and an order.
In one of my conversations with my mentor we discussed why Ghanaian graduates even at the Master’s level have serious difficulty in writing a simple research article for publication in a school journal.
‘Because they are not taught how to write and the lecturers who taught them research methods themselves did not understand that course when they were being taught’, I offered. ‘So these lecturers have a bullying attitude towards their students. They will tell them to go and rewrite the whole chapter without showing them how.’
My mentor, of ‘The brain drain is here’ quip then began to tell me about schooling in America and how students are taught to write.
‘You see in America, academia is not divorced from the real world of work’, he crossed his legs and stretched his arms to cover the length of the garden chair. ‘When you are in school, you are taught to think independently, how to argue out your case and how to write your report coherently.’
But of course – we both observed, there are Ghanaians who go to school in the Western world and come back having learnt “nuffin”.
So they come back and do whatever they like and others without their level of training or exposure simply follow them blindly.
In journalism and media practice however, theory and practice cannot be divorced from each other.
If you try it, court cases will overwhelm you and fake news will destroy your brand.
So as part of our end of year “STOCK TAKING; NO SALES” let all media houses, especially those operating in Ghana promise themselves an editorial policy immediately.
What is an editorial policy?
It is simply a set of guidelines by which the news organization operates.
It includes the news organization’s attitudes toward its community and aids editors in making editorial decisions.
Every media organisation must have an editorial board that makes recommendations on all editorial policy decisions.
When determining policy the board should keep in mind the need for readers/viewers/listeners to know the correct didactic information, community standards and the effect the media house has on the community agenda.
The editor-in-chief serves as the chairperson.
Editorials, whether written by the editor-in-chief or another member of the editorial board, must be based on adequate research to demonstrate an accurate understanding of the issue.
Editorials must be based on a consensus of the editorial board.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote is taken, the editor-in- chief has the authority to overrule the editorial board and to refuse to allow an editorial topic to be addressed; however, the editor-in-chief cannot substitute a different position on the same topic without a majority positive vote of the editorial board.
The media house should strive to inform, enhance discussion of community issues and to entertain.
Clearly, a media organization that is operating without a formal verifiable editorial policy under an editor-in-chief with a fully functioning editorial board is a train wreck simply waiting to happen.
The editorial policy cannot simply exist in one influential person’s head – no matter how well intentioned…be it the owner of the organisation, his relative or whoever.
Things must be done properly…….we cannot build on sand.
We must set the right standards for our young people; we must not do “foolish” things.
Whilst we Ghanaians feel insulted when we are corrected, a British female MP on the floor of the House of Commons called Prime Minister Theresa May ‘foolish’ for cavorting with and obfuscating on the UK’s relationship with MBS’s Saudi Arabia.
Everyone understood the MP’s position even if they did not agree with it… so no one has said that “She – the MP, does not respect” or “Who does she think she is?”.
‘What do you mean by you feel insulted’, my mentor will butt in. ‘What did the person say and do you not have any logical response to that, written or otherwise?’
So do we really want to make progress and live in a modern, sophisticated society? Do we?
Do you have an editorial policy for your media house?
Feedback; [email protected].
Writers and Shakespeares Ghana Limited exists to be a moral and intellectual guide to the best practice of PR and integrated communications around the world, beginning with Ghana.