‘Be objective, accurate in your reportage’
A veteran journalist, Mr Cameron Duodu, has admonished journalists to be objective and accurate in their reportage in the thriving media environment.
He said it was a reporter’s job to state the facts, and stressed that the media should never take their readers or audience for granted.
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Mr Duodu, who was speaking at the 13th Congregation of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in Accra last Saturday, added that it was important for the media to reflect the views of all parties in their stories.
The event coincided with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the GIJ.
A total of 1,290 students, comprising 821 degree and 469 diploma, graduated.
Mr Ruben Kwabla Amenyedor was adjudged the overall best student for the diploma programme, while Mr Ruben Tetteh was adjudged the overall best for the degree programme.
Significance
Mr Duodu emphasised the significance of accuracy and objectivity in journalism, stressing that it was the key that drove professional practice.
He recalled an incident in which Ghana’s First President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, drew the attention of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to a story in which a newscaster had said that a dam was inaugurated at Kosombo, instead of Akosombo.
“You cannot hide when your work is written. You do not know who is reading it outside,” he said.
Mr Duodu also tasked journalists to broaden their horizon by learning about happenings around the world to shape their writings.
“You have to know what is happening around you. Read widely, listen carefully and never publish anything that you cannot defend,” he advised the graduands.
He further asked journalists to cultivate distinct styles of writing and also specialise in areas where they performed better.
Illegal mining
On illegal mining in the country, the veteran journalist expressed concern over its devastating effects on the environment and said journalists could play lead roles in tackling the menace by investigating and exposing “galamsey” operators.
He cautioned that if stringent measures were not taken to protect water bodies, major rivers such as the Ankobra and the Tano could be destroyed.
“Your water in the rural areas, where most of you come from, is being pilled off by galamsey operators.
Go to the countryside and have a look at what galamsey is doing to the land.
Are you going to be like today’s journalists who see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing?” Mr Duodu asked.
Attacks on journalists
Presenting his report, the Rector of the GIJ, Prof. Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, condemned the worrying trend of attacks on journalists and the seeming hostile atmosphere for the practice of journalism in the country.
He said the development sought to undermine the freedom of the press.
He also advised journalists to be professional in thier reportage.
He said the GIJ Council had approved a scholarship fund to cover the tuition of brilliant undergraduate students with demonstrable financial challenges.
The scholarship will take effect from the 2019/2020 academic year.
New courses
Prof. Kwansah-Aidoo said the GIJ was preparing to introduce undergraduate programmes in events management and sponsorship, journalism elective specialisation in political reporting, economic reporting and sports reporting.
Other programmes being considered were environmental communication, media and culture, integrated marketing, strategic communication and branding and rhetoric and public discourse, he said.
According to him, the GIJ was preparing to leverage the opportunities and challenges that would emanate from the proposed merger with the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) and the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL) into a University of Media, Arts and Communication.
He urged the graduands to be agents of change in their respective endeavours by upholding the tenets of journalism and public relations.
For his part, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the GIJ, Prof. Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh, urged the graduands to be problem solvers and not active critics.