A broadcast Journalist and Executive Director of the Journalists Sanctuary International (JSI), Latif Iddrisu, yesterday donated a pair of protective gears to the New Times Corporation (NTC) to enhance safety of its journalists.
The armoured vests and helmets were to provide protection to journalist’s against possible brutalities on the field particularly in the coverage of highly risky public events.
It is on the back of an assault suffered by the Executive Director in March 2018 in the hands of police officers, while covering a protest by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
The attack has since left the multiple award-winning journalist with a fractured skull rendering him almost unproductive in his chosen career.
Presenting the items during an editorial conference of the Ghanaian Times, Mr Iddrisu said the gesture was to give “practical meaning” to the need to protect journalists on the field of practice.
“The JSI is seeking to, in the long term advocate the safety of journalists through the organisation of trainings, workshops and possibly awarding journalists who risk their lives on the field to bring us the news.
Presenting these protective gears is to support awareness creation on the need for media houses to take the safety of journalists seriously and help give my colleagues the confidence to do their job on the field,” he stated.
Mr Iddrisu further called on media organisations to continuously sensitise their journalists on safety tips to employ in the discharge of their duties.
The Editor of Ghanaian Times, Mr Dave Agbenu, commended Mr Iddrisu for the course he has taken to champion the safety of journalists.
“In Ghana, we do not take security issues seriously until something has happened and this should be a wake-up call for media houses to provide safety for its journalists,” he said.
He expressed the hope that all stakeholders would come on board to provide protection to journalists to sustain Ghana’s democracy.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
