Graphic has paid dues to national development — Statesmen

The Daily Graphic, the flagship newspaper brand published by the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL), has fully paid its dues to the socio-economic development of the country in the last 75 years.

A former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Quaye, and former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Samuel Okudzeto, who passed the verdict, said the Daily Graphic had passed the credibility test by providing balanced, unbiased and informative news to shape national discourse from the pre-independence era to the current democratic dispensation.

In that regard, the two Statesmen said, the newspaper deserved a tap on its shoulder.

Speaking in separate interviews in Accra, the statesmen maintained that even after 75 years of blazing the trail in the media industry, the newspaper was still relevant to the country’s forward march, despite the influx of social media.

“I am convinced without any iota of doubt that the Daily Graphic has stood the test of time and paid its dues to national development.

The paper has been very informative and without bias;

I do not think there is any newspaper that has maintained the standards like the Daily Graphic.

Over 75 years now, and the Daily Graphic has never fallen into any trap of credibility crisis,” Prof. Oquaye said.

He said in an era when fake news thrived, the country’s hope was in the Daily Graphic to maintain the standards it had set over the years.  

Prof. Oquaye, who is also an academic and politician,  said the newspaper had contributed to building the country’s multi-party democracy by navigating the tricky political space without leaning towards any political ideology.

He added that despite the commercial motive driving the media industry, the Daily Graphic had packaged its content in a manner that consciously covered every segment of the Ghanaian society.

For instance, he said, the categorisation of the paper into segments such as politics, health, education, environment, gender, regional news, entertainment, and sports had ensured that every aspect of national life was covered.

“These divisions are well placed because the categorisation means that one can just pick the paper and go straight to where their interest is, to read,” he said, pointing out that, while giving prominence to political issues, its front page had been used to set the agenda on key issues such as environmental protection, local participation in governance, and disability.

The former Speaker of Parliament also commended the Graphic Communications Group Ltd for launching the Ghana Year Book (GYB), a publication that documents key aspects of the country’s history. He emphasised that the book has been highly impactful in capturing significant moments in the country’s development, serving not only historical purposes but also supporting research and academic work.

He, therefore, called on the management of the GCGL to ensure that the Ghana Year Book was made vibrant, saying, “On the occasion of the 75th birthday of the Daily Graphic, I make a special request for the GCGL to do a Sankofa by going back for the Ghana Year Book and making it more vibrant.”

For his part, Mr Samuel Okudzeto said that the Daily Graphic had become synonymous with newspapers in the country because of the high standards the newspaper had set in the media space.

Against that backdrop, he said, the paper could not afford to lower the bar, especially so when the next phase of the country’s development required accurate information from a credible source.

He mentioned the current dynamics in the media landscape, where social media was saturating the news space, saying that it was a wake-up call for the GCGL to innovate and leverage the credibility of its brand to remain more relevant.

“The print media everywhere across the world is suffering from the infiltration of social media, but there is a need for adaptation.

The Daily Graphic should adapt and include more social media and technology to remain in business,” he added.

Mr Okudzeto said while the Daily Graphic was innovating to consolidate the gains made over the years, the GCGL must put a premium on building a robust online platform for prompt delivery of news.

That, he said, was because a strong online presence of the GCGL would ensure that the country benefited from “instant, credible and timely news.”

“If there is breaking news, I should be assured that just as Daily Graphic has become the standard for measuring credibility of news, I can turn to Graphic Online for more authentic and important news,” he said.

The renowned statesman also said the GCGL needed to strive to be a strong, independent institution without undue state interference.