Features
Dealing with misinformation
The internet is a very useful tool for improving our knowledge base and especially for communicating same. It is therefore very important for societies across the globe.
It has the potential to unite people all over the world. Communication has never been so fascinating as we have now where you can interact with someone in real time and seeing what he or she is wearing or doing.
However, it is like a double edged sword which can do good and at the same time cause serious harm or even death. Within a short period, a large group of people can be reached with misleading information which has the potential of creating chaos in society.
Misinformation is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “false or inaccurate information especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.” It is particularly worrying to observe the use of the internet by various interest groups to push lies and fabricated stories to enhance their interest without regard to the impact of such misinformation on individuals, groups or even countries.
There have been stories of prominent international personalities regarding their biological gender, i.e. their biological sex at birth. These stories were accompanied by videos that suggested that they were male at their young age but have deliberately transformed their gender at some point in their lives which are palpable falsehood being wickedly peddled. The sad thing is that some people tend to believe these lies packaged as the gospel truth, creating chaos in society.
In America, Donald Trump, the former President used misinformation to claim that the election was stolen from him even though later events have proven that he knew he had been genuinely defeated by Joe Biden, the current President.
The ridiculous extent to which these perpetrators of misinformation are willing to go, is mind boggling. Some of Trump supporters claimed that the counting machines subtracted votes from Trump and added them to that of Biden. Others too claimed that the ghost of Hugo Chavez, the former President of Venezuela came to manipulate the vote counting machines.
The danger here is that some of the people involved in misinformation are influential so some people believe what they say, especially the uneducated youth and adults.
The only way to stop misinformation is to establish channels that can dispute or fact check these lies.
Government spokespersons must also be proactive to counteract misinformation.
Transparency is also one sure way to curtail misinformation as the current electricity situation in the country for instance is being manipulated. Instead of the government coming out with the facts to put to rest speculations, they are not being forthright and people are reading all manner of meanings into it. There have been occasions in this country when fake news had surfaced about the death of prominent people who were later found to be very much alive.
These fake news would in some instances have been nullified if the rumours surrounding that particular celebrity or prominent person had been dispelled by being transparent about what the real issue was.
Spokespersons should not wait till rumours spread before coming out with clarification about the situation because the harm would already have been done.
Laud Kissi-Mensah
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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