Misrepresentation of Facts – Lack of Understanding, Incompetence, Laziness or Deception?

I recently reported on an article on Ghana Web about Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) strike that had an unacceptable amount of errors. I just discovered another article today, this time on CITI NEWSROOM website. Though less offensive, it still contains two factual errors that I think are unacceptable and should have been avoided. The title of the article, “Colleges of Education shut down as CETAG defies order to end strike”, is misleading. The term “shut down” would send the message that the colleges of education had been closed down. That is not the case, however. The truth is that colleges of education are still in full session. It is only if the strike travels to 21 working days that the colleges of education are supposed to be shut down. Even then one cannot say they have been shut when the authorities have not taken that step. In the first paragraph of the body of the article, the author wrote that, “Academic activities across colleges of education have come to a halt,” This is the reality on the ground, but this is not the same as the colleges of education being shut down. Is the writer ignorant of this fact, or did he deliberately create a misleading title simply to attract readership. I expect more professionalism from writers.

The first sentence of the second paragraph reads in part, “This strike has led to a complete cessation of academic and administrative functions.” It is only teaching staff of the colleges of education who are on strike. Since non-teaching staff are not on strike, there cannot be complete cessation of administrative functions. Administrative staff are at post and performing their functions. Perhaps the writer is misinformed about who is on strike. Perhaps the writer does not know who perform administrative functions in the colleges of education.

When I see blatant misinformation like these, I ask the questions: Do the writers lack the ability to understand simple things? Are the writers incompetent? Are the writers too lazy to crosscheck simple facts? Or are the writers deliberately creating deceptions with their titles to attract readership?

What are your thoughts?