Filling a void with Daily Graphic on Saturday

Today, we have published the first of the revamped edition of our newspaper on Saturday, dubbed: ‘Daily Graphic on Saturday’. This special edition has come to fill a void with a key interest to help improve the culture of newspaper reading in the country, especially on Saturdays.

There is no denying the fact that, as a nation, we are steadily losing interest in reading and this cuts across all demographics. There are many benefits that come with reading.

A widely read person does not only strengthen his or her mental muscles and analytical abilities, but understands and appreciates diverse perspectives which go a long way to boost self-esteem as well as help one become well-rounded. A well-read person develops his or her inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind.

With the revamped edition of the Daily Graphic on Saturday, we are hoping to provide our numerous readers with new concepts.

Our exciting new content line-up includes news features that will interrogate all aspects of Ghanaian and African political events, ideas and thoughts; big interviews, book reviews and an extensive cultural coverage of our festivals, museums and other manifestations of our heritage.

Other new sections are literary pieces, profiles and “live obituaries” of people whose funerals are “live” on the day (paid for).

There is also the media page and gallery segments, including photo reports and photos sent in from readers. As usual, our popular columnists will bring a personal and individual interpretation and perspectives to national and global events, stories, events and their interpretation to a national and global audience.

All in all, we are aiming to comprehensively inform, educate and entertain our loyal readers with up-to-date trendy news for their relaxation.

As the leader in the media industry in the country, we are prepared to innovate to provide the very best for our readers. And as our mantra: “Truth and Accuracy Every Day” states, we recommit to be balanced, objective and fair in the discharge of our constitutional mandate.

Ideally, the media serve several essential roles in a democratic society. Our primary purpose is to inform the public, providing citizens with the information needed to make thoughtful decisions about leadership and policy. The media act as watchdogs by checking government actions.

We set the agenda for public discussion of issues and provide a forum for political expression. We also facilitate community building by helping people to find common causes, identify civic groups and work towards finding solutions to societal problems.

Our role in the national development effort cannot be downplayed. As the Fourth Estate in our democratic dispensation, the media are not only expected to be professionally minded, but to be critical in ensuring that the national good is served at all times.

In so doing the media must not just demand democratic accountability from the government but equally play a lead role in influencing policy decisions as well as rally the citizens to be civic-minded to play their shared role in the good governance process needed for accelerated growth and enhanced living standards.

We have not shirked our role, and we pledge to hold it sacred which has been our hallmark over the seven decades of our existence. In the discharge of the role, it is our hope that the larger society will continue to support us to serve it better.

More importantly, we expect our duty bearers, as a matter of national interest, to be quick and timely in responding to issues of national concern. Sometimes, the lack of a quick response from our duty bearers makes our work to inform and educate very difficult and cumbersome.

The revamped Saturday edition has been birthed and we can only express our gratitude to our loyal readers for their unalloyed support. That said, we are encouraged by the fact that we can always count on them.