‘Madness’ on social media is not Journalism – David Tamakloe

‎The President of the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), David Sitsofe Tamakloe, has rejected the notion that social media can replace professional journalism.

He described the current digital information environment as a “war of confusion.”
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‎Speaking at the PRINPAG Capacity-Building Workshop on “Responsible Security Reporting” at Platinum Bay Hotel, Abokobi, Accra, on Saturday, August 29, Tamakloe said the media must resist attempts to diminish the relevance of traditional journalism.
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‎Accordly to him, the media had increasingly been left to struggle for its place in society, creating conditions that have contributed to confusion between social media activity and professional journalism.
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‎“But I must speak plainly about the war of confusion that surrounds us. The media has been left alone abandoned, really to fight for its place in the long history of human development and democracy,” he said.
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‎According to the President, attempts to sideline the traditional media have contributed to the emergence of what he describes as a “monster” in the form of the so-called new media.
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‎“In our desperation to cower, control, or simply sideline the media, we have created a monster and set it loose upon ourselves. That monster is the so-called “new media,” the President said.
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‎He cautioned against the belief that digital platforms would eventually make traditional journalism irrelevant.
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‎“We are being fed a dangerous lie that this chaotic digital space will take over, that the traditional press is a dying relic. Let us not be deluded! There is no alternative to the traditional media,” the President stressed.
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‎The President was emphatic that activity on social media should not automatically be considered journalism.
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‎“Let me be unequivocal: the madness we witness on social media is not journalism,” the President said.
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‎Tamakloe further defended journalism as a profession that has historically played an important role in holding power to account and documenting society.
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‎“Journalism is a noble profession that has shaped humanity for centuries. It has exposed tyranny, championed the oppressed, and chronicled the triumphs of the human spirit,” the President said.
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‎The President therefore urged stakeholders not to abandon professional journalism because of challenges confronting the industry, warning that doing so could have consequences for society’s collective memory.
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‎“We must not throw this profession under the bus simply because we have grown intolerant of divergent views or, worse, because we are unwilling to finance its growth,” the President said.
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‎“If we abandon journalism, we abandon memory itself,” he concluded.
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