The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, has reiterated the commitment of the commission to protect the rights and safety of journalists in the country.
He emphasised that journalists should be protected to carry out their constitutional mandate without intimidation.
“The NMC would make sure that journalists in the country always feel safe and secure in discharging their duties,” he stated.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo was speaking at a consultative meeting with journalists in the Northern Region.
The meeting was meant to arm journalists in the country with the skills and knowledge on how to ensure their own safety in the line of duty.
“When it comes to the safety of the journalist, it does not matter the irresponsibility of the journalist,” he said.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo however, reminded journalists that despite the assurances by the commission, journalists must be responsible and ethical in the discharge of their duty.
He, therefore, advised journalists to ensure they did not endanger their lives when they adopted unorthodox means of seeking for information.
The Executive Secretary of the NMC, George Sarpong encouraged journalists to practice without fear or favour.
The UNESCO Head of Office, Mr Abdulrahamane Diallo on his part, called on the government to put measures in place to protect the journalists in the country.
He stressed that the government and NMC must make sure those who attack journalists were made to face the laws of the land.
The Northern Region Chair of Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Yakubu Abdul- Majeed on his part, revealed that the association was going to secure the services of lawyers to pursue cases of violations against all journalists in the region.
He said it was disheartening that institutions that were supposed to ensure the safety and security of journalists were the ones that were notorious for violating the rights of media practitioners.
Mr Abdul- Majeed however, cautioned journalists to always prioritise their safety and maintain the highest standards of the profession.
FROM YAKUBU ABDUL-MAJEED, TAMALE
