Expanding journalism frontiers

70 years in the life of any institution or individual is a great milestone worth celebrating with pomp and ceremony.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the 24th GJA Awards which were marked in Accra last Saturday, there is every good reason to celebrate our journalists, both past and present.

By no small measure, last Saturday was a big day for practitioners of the profession and lovers of freedom of speech.

We note that 162 personalities and institutions were recognised last Saturday night, with 78 awards picked by media practitioners and veterans and 84 going to individuals and organisations which supported and contributed to organising the epoch event.

We are very proud of all the awardees and salute all practitioners who are holding aloft the flag of journalism and leading the frontiers in the emancipation of the country politically, socially, economically and culturally.

Riding on the theme: “Democracy, freedom and independence of the media in Ghana: 70 years of GJA’s contribution” for the Platinum Media Awards, practitioners must endeavour to keep the GJA vibrant, while contributing to accelerated national development.

The significant role the media play in the good governance process of the country cannot be in doubt.

That notwithstanding, the occasion must be used to bring to the fore the ethical consideration of journalism and how the profession must be practiced.

We note with concern the sentiments shared by the 2018 Journalist of the Year, Ms Doreen Hammond, that not too long ago, journalism practice was not done anyhow; that it strictly conformed to normative values.

She said some journalists had the wrong perception that exhibiting themselves on social media with unethical content was what could give them exposure.

Media practitioners are expected to do the right things always by being fair, truthful and accurate, as well as demonstrate balanced judgment.

As we journalists celebrate this milestone, there is the need for self-examination as we play our watchdog role and do our duty to God and country.

So long as there are communities and we all live in those communities, the journalism practice will still be relevant to put human behaviour in check and on the right course.

For this reason, it is important that practitioners stay professional, committed to the ideals of objectivity, act ethically and abide by the rules of engagement in the GJA Code of Ethics.

This way, we can hold both the government and society to account and deepen transparency and accountability and in the process help make life worth living for all.

On the organisation of the well-patronised awards ceremony last Saturday, there are a few concerns and observations worth raising. In our view, the ceremony dragged on for too long, a situation that could have been avoided if the event had been carefully scripted.

If time had been alloted to speeches and awards presentations, among others, as well as what the MC could do or could not do, the whole programme could have taken a shorter time.

During the speeches, there were a lot of noise and movements.

At least we could have had some quiet in the hall.

Why do we also hire a band and not give it enough play time?

Going forward, the next GJA awards would need some re-thinking, re-organisation and fine-tuning to make the event stay alive.

Nevertheless, we at the Daily Graphic congratulate GJA at 70 on attaining that milestone and ‘Team Graphic’ on dominating the awards.