Dr George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector General of Police, says the police does not “just” arrest anyone for fake news, saying, they only come in when what is being peddled has national security implications.
“The police have not arrested anybody for fake news. What we are talking about is that there is a law that says that if you go out there and start putting things out there that has the potency of bringing the security of the State into disrepute to a level that it will create confusion and for our very survival to be destroyed, we will deal with you,” he said.
Dr Dampare said this in reaction to a comment made by Mr Gayheart Mensah, a Communications Consultant, that the Police was arresting journalists for publication of fake news and that it had no business to do so because they were laid down procedures and institutions, including the National Media Commission (NMC) to handle such matters.
This was at The Ghana Report Summit, held on the theme: “Dealing with Misinformation and Disinformation – Election 2024.”
The IGP called for a collaborative effort among institutions and the public to address the issues of misinformation and disinformation.
He said the issues of disinformation should not be seen as work for someone or some institutions but an issue that involved everyone being vigilant and circumspect in what they read and shared as news.
Dr Dampare said the time had come for the public to have a mindset change to see societal problems and challenges as a challenge for all and not some people or institutions.
He said institutions that shared information and news needed to be proactive in coming out with authentic information to dispel fake news.
“The media has a role to play; use your gate keeper role to check what goes out and what not to consume.
Let us check our breaking news journalism to ensure that whatever we put out is genuine,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Gayheart Mensah called for “processes and structures” to be followed indealing with issues of fake news, saying there were institutions mandated to handle such issues.
He condemned instances where security operators attacked and accosted journalists over fake news instead of following the laid down procedures.
“I am talking about a process, and that process does not lie in security operators getting up at times without any complaint and arresting journalists for fake news. When there is news about you that you think is unfair, you report to the National Media Coalition,” he reiterated.
GNA