Media too powerful for novices –Chief of Staff

Media too powerful for novices –Chief of Staff

By Mohammed Awal

The media is too powerful a tool to be left in untrained hands, Chief of Staff, Mr. Prosper Douglas Bani said, during the 7^th congregation of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), held in Accra.

 “We cannot downplay this point if we are to keep cohesion and survival of our nation. It is important to stress that this emerging culture will not augur well for our nation,” he reiterated.

He made this call at the 7^th congregation of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) on Saturday, held under the theme: “Communication; a Vehicle for National Stability and Peaceful Development”.

According to him, “if media owners’ resolve were to give priority in their recruitments to non-professional journalists, they should immediately arrange for them to be taken through media training and capacity building programmes that will better prepare them for their roles,” he pleaded.

Mr. Bani further added that it would be in the interest of media owners to pay heed to this call, as recent reports of huge damages in defamation were awarded against media houses by the court.

This situation, he said, could have been avoided if they (the media) had allowed trained and professional journalists to bring their knowledge of the ethics of the profession to bear.

Journalists’ responsibilities

Communication, according to Mr. Bani, should be seen as a very important resource, comparable to the central nervous system of the human anatomy.

The media, according to him, has been a crucial cog in the communication chain, adding that “it is a vital organ for the development and nurturing of peace and stability.”

Its potency in the public sphere meant that it ought to be used with sobriety by the wielders, in order to maintain the peace and stability of the nation, mentioned the Chief of Staff.

The Journalist, as a professional, he added, has a responsibility to safeguard the peace of Ghana by applying his or her moral compass to the factors which unite us, rather than “the pursuance of divisive tendencies.”

Advice to journalists

Mr. Bani adviced the new graduates against complacency and challenged them to brace up for the ups and downs ahead, and to learn from history, so that together they help to make Ghana a better place.

He further entreated them (the Graduants) to be guided at all times by the ethics of the profession which they had been taught as part of their training and “as spelt out by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana (IPR).”

He urged journalist to be diligent, critical and tactful at all times to avoid breaching the laws of the country or ethics of the profession, as they go about their duties.

“As you graduate today, the mantle has fallen on your shoulders as part of the new generation of students to shine and light the path of Ghana’s democratic development in a stable environment.

“You must see yourselves as part of the new beginning to re-energise the national consciousness and also keep aloft Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s banner of an African Journalist or communicator who would use his pen for the emancipation of the African continent.”

He further called on them to be addicted to the truth, fight poverty and assist the state to rid the society of indiscipline, disease and ignorance, saying “you have the onerous task of watching over political environment.”

In this way, he said, “the responsibility of the media as an active agent in breaking down the barriers of secrecy and silence becomes more arduous.”

The Rector of the Institute, Mr. David Newton said this year’s congregation was very significant and historic in the sense that: “this is the first time the institute is awarding its own degrees to its own students, following the award of a Presidential Charter in 2009.”

Content with the Institute’s progress, Mr. Newton said “I can now look back with pride and give an account of our numerous achievements over the past fifty-four (54) years of the existence of the Institute.”

From a humble beginning as a Diploma awarding Institute under the Ministry of Information, the Institute, he gladly noted, has grown and matured into a fully-fledged University with its Charter to award Degrees and Certificates.

After two decades of multiparty democracy in Ghana, Mr. Newton felt the time was ripe to consolidate the gains of “our democracy”, tasking the media discourse to be devoid of “hatred, personal attacks and acrimony.”

The media, he pleaded, should contribute to the building of a new democratic culture based on tolerance, trust and respect for one another. The media, he further suggested, should encourage frank and open discussion of national issues devoid of partisanship.

In all, a total number of 404 students, both from diploma and degree programmes respectively, successfully completed.

In the degree programme, 23 students obtained first class honours, 93 obtained second class upper division and 64 second class lower division.

With respect to the Diploma programme, out of 256 students who sat the final diploma examination, 224 passed, while 32 fell short of the requirements for the award of diploma.