He has, therefore, charged media practitioners to study the RTI Law as captured in Act 989, to help them obtain credible and factual information when it was implemented.
"The RTI has a number of benefits for us. It will ensure media persons go through necessary procedures to get access to factual information, credible information with which they can put out their stories to enable people to engage in the kind of quality conversation which can move our society forward,” the minister said.
Delivering a keynote address at a forum on “The role of the RTI Law in deepening media freedom”, in Accra yesterday, Mr Nkrumah said: “I hope the RTI will tone down speculation and rumour-mongering because you will now have procedures by which you can apply and get the information and put that fact in your story."
The forum was jointly organised by the Chevening Alumni Association of Ghana, in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) on the theme: "Our voices must be heard".
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said contrary to the erroneous impression that the RTI Bill was passed into law specifically to make the work of media practitioners easy, the law had immense benefits for all segments of the Ghanaian society.
"I think sometimes people erroneously think that the RTI Act is to make the work of media people easier, I beg to differ. The RTI Act is for all persons, citizens or non-citizens functioning within this democracy and it is to give a procedure by which you access your right to information in Article 21 (1) (f) in the 1992 Constitution,” the minister added.
He said the law would also enable academia to access information for research purposes.
The minister further said there was no effort or attempt to roll back the freedom of expression that existed in the country.
He said the Ghanaian Press was free to publish what they deemed fit ahead of time without any controls or threats by the government.
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