SAM GEORGE: SOCIAL MEDIA MUST PLAY BY SAME RULES AS TRADITIONAL MEDIA

Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has insisted that social media platforms and content creators must operate under the same ethical and regulatory standards as traditional media houses.

Speaking at an event organised by the Africa Media Bureau on the future of Ghana’s media sector, the Minister argued that it would be “unacceptable and undemocratic” for new media to be governed differently from conventional outlets.

“New media must subject itself to the same rigours of conventional media. Once you broadcast, the ethics and standards of the craft must govern your operations,” he said.

Mr George stressed that his call was not about censorship but about responsible regulation.

“I cannot and will not, as Minister, seek to regulate what media outlets publish. That is your editorial discretion. But how your content is broadcast must be subject to regulation. We cannot allow a media environment that resembles the Wild West,” he explained.

The Minister also turned his attention to fraudulent content on television, condemning the rise of charlatans posing as pastors and spiritualists, as well as money-doubling schemes and fetish practices.

“Charlatans parading as men of God and running frivolous schemes must be driven out of our airwaves with a regulatory whip,” he declared.

On indecent programming, he criticised broadcasters who promote sexually explicit content disguised as entertainment.

“Pornographic and sexually explicit content masquerading as adult relationship shows cannot be allowed to continue soiling the innocence of our national airwaves,” he warned.

Calling for collective responsibility, Mr George urged media players, regulators, and civil society to work together to sanitise Ghana’s broadcasting space.

“There must be sanity. We cannot put today’s profit ahead of tomorrow’s sanity. Let us develop a roadmap together to clean up our airwaves,” he appealed.

The Minister’s remarks add momentum to ongoing national debates about media freedom, responsibility, and regulation in the digital age.