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Media urged to emphasize
developmental issues
Accra, July 5, GNA – Media personnel were on Thursday urged
to highlight in their reportage more developmental issues
instead of politics.
Mr. Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists
Association (GJA) who gave the advice at a day’s media
workshop on the theme: “Strengthening Media Capacity to
Report Democracy and Development in Ghana” noted that
democracy and development thrived when the media gave a
voice to the people in society.
“The media needs to be empowered to voice out the feeling of
people in the society while checking those in government,”
he explained.
Mr. Tetteh said, even though journalists had the right to
sympathize with a government in power or otherwise, it was
disturbing to see journalists mount political platforms
speaking in support of a political party.
He expressed concerns about the level of indiscipline in
society and the fact that the media had been overtaken by
the level of this phenomenon.
The media should promote a society where the good people are
rewarded and the bad people sanctioned, Mr Tetteh said
adding, “in our kind of society even when an authority is
punishing a person for a wrong deed we find people begging
on his behalf.
The GJA president said the association fully supported the
passage of the Right to Information Bill and urged
journalists to join in the campaign to facilitate the
passage of the bill.
He noted that even though the media landscape was vibrant
and encouraging there were excesses and expressed the hope
that the trend would reduce in future.
Mr. Tetteh also expressed concern about the concentration of
media houses in the capital city and some regional capitals,
leaving the rural areas in the dark and noted that democracy
must begin at the local level.
He advised journalists to take keen interest in district
assemblies.
Mr. Amos Safo, Editor of the Public Agenda Newspaper who
spoke on the topic: “Reporting Democracy and Governance:
Guidelines for Journalists” emphasized the need for freedom
of the press, especially in developing countries.
He said it was unfortunate that journalists had kept the
definition of news close to those in power hence the
reportage concentrated on those in power and not the poor
who needed to be heard.
“We must endeavour to discover and publish information that
displaces rumour and speculation and resist and evade
government control of information.”
Mr Safo said the role of the journalists was to comfort the
afflicted and asked the media to pay attention to issues
that touched the core of society.
“Attention should be paid to those who were affected by
government policies,” he stressed.
Mr. Safo said the media should not be a platform where
people inflame passions and trade insults and said
journalists should not allow themselves to be used to
promote conflicts.
“Journalism will only thrive where there is democracy,” Mr
Safo said.
GNA
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