The Minister of information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has asked journalists to reinforce their commitment to professionalism as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the role of the media in disseminating “accurate, unbiased and timely information” could not be over stated in a democratic society like Ghana.
“To foster nation building during such critical times, we must empower our journalists to rise to the occasion. Continuous learning becomes not just a professional development endeavor, but a civic duty as well,” he added.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah made the call at the official opening of the second cohort training of the Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) 2023 in Accra yesterday.
The MCEP organised by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Private News Paper Publishers Association, University of Media Arts and Communication is to identify the training needs of journalists and train them to that effect.
It is the second to be organised for practising journalists across the country.
In all 140 journalists would have benefited from the programme at the end of the second cohort which is taking place in Accra.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the training was not just a routine training programme, but one of the most vital investment in the future of the media industry and democracy in Ghana.
“The media plays an unequalled role in shaping the national agenda and directing our energies and intellect towards various subjects. Today in Ghana nearly 700 radio stations have been authorised to operate, over 200 TV stations are operating and scores of publications (print and online) circulate.
Unfortunately, majority of us who operate as journalists on these platforms while being articulate and well-intentioned, have not had the benefit of formal training as journalists,” he stated.
He said the “ethics, responsibilities, contemporary practices and nuances of the profession” were not as widespread among operators as they should be.
“This is not just a Ghanaian challenge, it is indeed a global challenge. Indeed in the UK just a few days ago, major media houses were fined by the courts for very unethical media practices targeted at members of the royal family among others,” he stressed.
On his part, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Albert Dwomfuor, said the media could play an effective role in spreading the right kind of consciousness and awareness among the people concerning the goals and limitations of policy-makers, development partners and planners.
He said there was the need to educate people about priorities of the nation vis-à-vis the aspirations of millions of the people and hold duty bearers who had the obligation to respect, protect, promote and realise or fulfill human rights accountable for their deeds.
“Ahead of the 2024 general elections, I must state unequivocally, that the political season would be hot, but we must be guided by our code of conduct and ethics,” he emphasised.
Mr Dwomfuor said the media must see the concept of nation-building as a priority and embrace the responsibility that came with the task.
“As we continue to apply this multi-dimensional process of appreciating issues, we would definitely succeed in prosecuting the national agenda,” he said.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
