Ghana’s maiden national media capacity enhancement program opens in Kumasi today, Monday, January 10, following an official opening ceremony which was held at Manhyia Palace.
This year’s Media Capacity Enhancement Program is dubbed “Equipping the media to play an effective role in nation-building.
The program was designed to provide scholarships for some 250 journalists to be trained annually to contribute to deepening media professionalism nationwide.
The program forms part of collaborative efforts by stakeholders in the media industry to support the sector which has been challenged in recent times.
Needs assessment, curriculum and faculty were agreed upon by an independent working group of experts led by Prof. Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, called on all journalists to work credibly and in line with the laws of the nation.
According to him, it is the core mandate of the media is to provide the Citizens with information that enables them to come to an informed decision.
“Every professional journalist knows that his greatest assets of the profession are credibility and credibility comes from the accuracy of the information and the fairness with which it is presented, journalism does not peddle in rumors” Otumfuo reiterated.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also expressed the need for the media to disabuse its mind of the misconception that their freedom is without bounds.
He notes that “the removal of the criminal libel law only removed the criminal libel element could send a journalist to jail, however, the right of the citizen to have recourse to the law for the protection of their reputation against defamation by the media remains absolutely intact.”
He said the information ministry’s move to educate the journalist is in the right direction and hopes that that improving the understanding of media practitioners will contribute to the enhancement of the quality of the media.
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Source: Richard Osei Korankye/ ATLFMNEWS
