Insurance for Journalists - Abandoned 2 years after the promise?
It’s been a year since the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) organised the GJA Awards. At the ceremony, the President of the Association reiterated the efforts being made to arrange an insurance package for journalists.
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The loud silence on this year’s awards occasioned by a legal hold-up on the election of the Association’s Executives cannot go unnoticed.
That notwithstanding, I don’t want to believe that this is probably accounting for the delay in arranging insurance package for members of the noble profession whose exposure to various risks in the discharge of their duties cannot be underestimated!
Journalists and their calling
It is a truism that journalists will do everything to ensure that we have a just society, particularly, through the publication or broadcast of information to draw attention to policymakers. From ensuring that politicians do not take undue advantage of the poor taxpayers to workers who press home demands for one condition of service or the other, the journalist is always at the beck and call of every member of society, including the mentally deranged! Sadly though, our ‘inky friends’ will not do same for themselves! Suffice it to say, journalists across the world face a lot of occupational hazards. For instance, the Ashongman Estates incidence, a couple of years ago, where a GTV cameraman was badly attacked by a civil contractor for taking some footage remains fresh on my mind. Beyond the public reprimand, whether or not a punitive action was taken against that contractor, ‘your guess may just be as good as mine.’
The proverbial vulture reaction
Like the proverbial vulture, it is very easy to press the panic button and propose great ideas when we are in crisis or when something untoward happens. If it is not a road crash that has led to the loss of lives of powerful persons in society, it is likely to be a building that has collapsed and the local authorities are being blamed for not doing their work well and for that matter, plans A, B, and C are hastily ‘pushed’ across! Leaders of various trade associations, professional bodies, technocrats and politicians would make all the noise just because something unpleasant has happened. The hue and cry usually lasts not beyond 10 days! Soon, all the solutions proffered peter out!
Related Developments
Indeed, in our recent past, many journalists have suffered one way or the other for just doing their work. Perhaps, the death of Samuel Nuamah, formerly of the Ghanaian Times and a member of the Presidential Press Corps (may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace!), who died in a fatal motor accident while on duty two years ago, immediately comes to mind again. He is gone and his immediate family is the biggest loser.
As usual, there was a loud chorus to have an insurance package for journalists. The icing on the cake, however, was the GJA President’s statement to consider an insurance package for journalists.
The call for an insurance policy for journalists was naturally triggered not only by the accident but the fact that a life was lost.
The controversy
Exactly two years after this fatal incident, I shudder to say ‘the Samuel Nuamah song’ has already lost its hit status and this has been long since! While everyone else seems to have overcome the tragic loss and forgotten about it, perhaps, the family of the affable late young journalist still has his memories fresh on their minds, especially, waking up to the reality of no income to fall on. This, undoubtedly, resonates with a popular statement that ‘tomorrow is not ours.’
Apathy towards Insurance
Like most individuals, some journalists have a misplaced inclination that mishaps may only come the ways of others and not them. In my discourse with friends in the inky fraternity, I come across many who attempt to give VERY SOUND reasons for not taking up personal insurance.
It does appear to me that most of our hardworking journalists easily disregard insurance, particularly, life insurance either out of limited comprehension or other reasons best known to them.
If there was a headcount today, I will not be surprised if less than 20 per cent of our journalists have personal insurance policies. In the case of motor insurance, most of our journalists would rather take a third-party as opposed to comprehensive insurance. Indeed, the reason is obviously not farfetched, as it is either to pay a little premium or to meet the requirements of the law or both.
Individual Insurance decisions
Inasmuch as the GJA could do its bit by way of Group Personal Accident or similar policies for its members, it is imperative that each individual member of the GJA takes responsibility for their own personal insurance, not just as a way of safeguarding their future but guaranteeing the future of families they may leave behind.
Thus, individual members may consider personal insurance and other forms of insurance that would inure to their own benefits without recourse to expectations from the association.
What matters most is that benefits could come from both angles – the association’s end, as well as the individual’s own insurance arrangements. We must be reminded again and also appreciate that Sammy’s loss really hit his family more than any other person or group.
The family must continue to live and must live mainly on financial arrangements (including personal insurance policies) made in the past, if any. Need I say, our real sympathies should not only be with Sammy’s family, but equally important, are the journalists who put personal insurance at the bottom of their priority list!
Mishaps occur when least expected
Anything can happen at any time, they say! Mishaps will not wait for elections to be held before they occur. If a Presidential Press Corps vehicle, where safety standards were supposed to be very high, could find itself in such tragedy, then, what becomes of our journalists many of who either use their own vehicles or public transport?
As humans, we are good at sympathising with one another when we are in difficulty, but our level of concerns often end with calls on government, institutions, associations and corporate institutions to come to our aid. Let us learn to carry our own crosses too; it helps! This piece can certainly not end without me asking the question and except I am not aware of any progress that: ‘two years after the presidential corps accident, and the promise of an insurance package for journalists by the GJA, have we abandoned the idea or we are waiting for yet another life or lives to be lost? — GB
Until Next week, “This is Insurance from the eyes of my mind.”