Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has raised concerns that the explosive growth of digital media in Ghana is outpacing professionalism, weakening traditional journalistic norms, and complicating efforts at regulation.
Speaking in an interview on Citi TV on Sunday, 1 February, Gabby Otchere-Darko said while technology has democratised access to information, it has also blurred the boundaries that once defined responsible journalism.
According to him, the rise of bloggers and digital content creators has fundamentally altered how information is produced and consumed, often without the editorial safeguards that guided legacy media.
Otchere-Darko, who is also a media owner, argued that regulators now find themselves chasing a rapidly evolving industry, with technology consistently running ahead of legal and institutional frameworks.
“Technology is always ahead of regulation. I think we are getting there. There is some sort of self-regulation, not with those who put out the content but with the ones who receive it,” he said.
He cautioned that any attempt to impose rigid controls on the media could easily cross the line into censorship, undermining free expression if not carefully calibrated.
“If you get into the area of regulation and you are not careful, then you stifle the freedom of speech. It doesn’t mean freedom of speech means you can get away with anything,” he stated.
Beyond regulation, Otchere-Darko highlighted the personal and reputational damage caused by the unchecked spread of false information on social media, noting that misinformation often enjoys wider and faster circulation than factual corrections.
“They put things about you on social media, and others will Google your name, and your image is tarnished. When you try to correct it, it does not have the same traction, and it’s not sensational,” he said.
He added that responding publicly to false claims can sometimes be counterproductive, inadvertently amplifying the very content one seeks to counter.
“Sometimes, your reaction to it even gives it more traction, and the decision to not mind it becomes difficult. I think you should look at it on a case-by-case basis,” he said.
Otchere-Darko further warned that traditional media organisations must adapt to emerging technologies and changing consumption patterns if they are to survive in an increasingly competitive information space.
According to him, media owners who fail to evolve risk being rendered irrelevant or forced out of business altogether.
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