Much of what goes on in traditional media also is misinformation. Unsuspectingly! Recently an organisation put the matter to test, and the outcome was very sad, though not unexpected.
The Fourth Estate organisation combined three popular soft drinks in Ghana: Malta Guinness, Coca-Cola, and Fanta and labelled it MACOFA Herbal Mixture; presenting same as treatment for menstrual problems, infertility, and low libido. They then went to some media houses for onward advertising. And the passion with which the studio presenters and media personalities advertised the concoction was amazing! One of them even came across as giving personal testimonial as to the efficacy of the supposed herbal mixture. All without the requisite approval of the Food and Drugs Authority; something they were under regulatory obligation to require before going ahead with any such advertisement on their airwaves.
In essence the media personalities were just being dishonest; in the end deceiving the unsuspecting public. It was essentially a hype show. And this is just a tip of the iceberg! There is so much misinformation or misleading information on the airwaves; it is almost a pandemic.
