The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) yesterday inaugurated eight committees as part of efforts to enhance its administration and welfare of journalists in the country.
The committees include membership vetting committee, professional development committee, social affairs committee, international relations committee, and finance and resource mobilisation committee.
The rest are research committee, constitution review committee and ethics and disciplinary council.
Editor of the Ghanaian Times newspaper, Dave Agbenu is a member of the professional development committee, while the Acting Editor of The Spectator, Georgina Naa-Maku Quaitoo is a member of the constitutional review committee with John Vigah of the Sports Department, a member of the social affairs committee.
Speaking at the ceremony in Accra, the president of the GJA, Roland Affail Monney said the inauguration of the various committees was aimed at energising the association.
According to Mr Monney this year was an election year and the rising tension in the country had the tendency to test the competence of journalists.
He said media consumers were looking up to journalists to feed them with information and to live by the code of ethics of the profession.
The GJA president, therefore, urged journalists to “develop thick skin and not live by the whims and caprices of politicians.”
He also mentioned that it was time journalists guarded themselves from peddling falsehood and not be led into tilting the news to favour anyone.
Inaugurating the various committees, a former chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr Kabral Blay Amihere urged members of the various committees to work hard to ensure that many practising journalists join the association.
He also encouraged the association to explore more avenues in order to make the GJA great again on the global scene.
“The financial and resource mobilisation committee should explore innovative means of finding funds that goes into the GJA and create ways to make the association independent,” Ambassador Amihere added.
To the professional development committee, he urged them to find ways of improving the professionalism of journalists, stating that many people were now practising journalism and that the constitution allows it.
Mr Amihere also asked the ethics and disciplinary council to ensure that journalists live by the ethics of the profession especially as we are in the political era.
He urged members of the committees to help the GJA promote a free and fair election.
The chairman of the research committee, Dr Anthony Bonnah Koomson on behalf of the committees said they were prepared to offer their support to the association and thanked the GJA for the confidence reposed in them.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
