The former Board Chairman of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, has urged journalists to prioritise accuracy and develop a deeper understanding of the energy sector to curb misinformation.
Speaking at a capacity-building training programme for journalists in Accra on Tuesday, he emphasised the need for thorough research, fact-checking, and stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced and accurate reporting.
The event was held on the theme: ‘Navigating the Complexities of Social Media: Best Practices for Accurate Energy Reporting,’ and was organised by Energy News Africa Ltd., a news portal dedicated to energy sector developments.
“As journalists, you don’t need to be engineers to report on the energy sector, just as you don’t need to be lawyers to cover court proceedings. But you must research, understand the economics, and engage the right sources before publishing a story,” he stated.
Mr Blay-Amihere expressed concern over the growing influence of social media in shaping public perception of the energy sector, often through misinformation and political propaganda.
“Today, anyone with a smartphone can spread news—true or false—without verification. We see headlines like ‘Dumsor is back’ or ‘Power sabotage in Ashanti Region’ without an in-depth understanding of the actual situation,” he said.
He underscored the complexity of the energy sector, which involves multiple players, including power generators, transmission companies like GRIDCo, and distributors such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
“Blaming ECG for power outages without considering supply chain challenges, including fuel shortages and gas supply disruptions, reflects a lack of understanding,” he added.
Editor of Energy News Africa Ltd., Mr Michael Creg Afful, explained that the training programme aimed to equip journalists with the skills to differentiate between accurate and misleading information.
He noted that improving the quality of energy journalism in Ghana was crucial to ensuring the public receives well-researched and reliable information. He also cautioned against the hasty dissemination of unverified reports, citing a case involving a purported appointment at the Tema Oil Refinery, which later proved to be false.
“The energy sector is a key decision-making area, and if we, as journalists, fail to equip ourselves with the right knowledge, we risk misinforming the public. For instance, tomorrow, the West African Gas Pipeline Company will begin shutting down its facilities in Tema and the Western Region. If there are outages, some might rush to social media to claim that ‘Dumsor’ has returned, without understanding the real cause,” he explained.
Highlighting the impact of energy journalism, Mr Afful encouraged journalists to specialise in specific fields rather than being general reporters. Sharing his personal experience, he stated that his decision to focus on energy reporting had opened doors for him, including multiple international opportunities.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), Dr Riverson Oppong, in his presentation reaffirmed COMAC’s commitment to supporting journalists in their efforts to enhance reporting standards in the energy sector.
He emphasised the need for journalists to uphold ethical reporting standards, avoid conflicts of interest, and conduct thorough fact-checking using available tools, including artificial intelligence and fact-checking websites.
He also cautioned that repeated incidents of misinformation could erode journalists’ credibility and deter stakeholders from engaging with them.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
