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A monitoring exercise conducted by the National Media Commission (NMC) in the Ashanti Region shows disconnect between the media and the real needs of the people.

Mr. George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the Commission, did not give details about when this was done but indicated that the report revealed a dissonance between the issues of interest to the people and what the media had been talking about on their platforms.

The people, he said, were interested in matters relating to employment, the cost of living, the general harsh economic conditions, education and health but the media’s focus had been on intra-party and inter-party confusion and attacks on political opponents.

Mr. Sarpong, who presented the findings at a forum organized by the NMC in Kumasi, warned that if care was not taken the media could soon make itself irrelevant to the society.

He said the hype on matters relating to the political parties was portraying a picture of a crisis of a sort, when in reality there was none.

He asked that it redirected its focus and shine the spotlight on things that were of concern to the population.

The media should not allow politicians to dictate its direction, he stated, adding that, this could pose serious challenges to its very survival and continued relevance.

Mr. Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, Chairman of the NMC, said the monitoring exercise was an important activity to measure the performance of the media.

This tied in with efforts to ensure that the media, especially, radio played its role well, as the nation prepared to go to the polls.

Mr. Paul Adu Gyamfi, former Chairman of NMC, said it was important for all key stakeholders to play by the rules of decency and acceptable conduct to make the coming election peaceful.