President Mahama praises Graphic’s digital shift and describes it as example for media industry
President John Dramani Mahama has lauded the Graphic Communications Group Ltd as a national benchmark for state media evolution, applauding its successful pivot to the digital frontier.
The President said Graphic's successful transition to the digital space mirrored the journey of major global media houses such as the New York Times, Washington Post, which are increasingly moving from print to digital platforms.
He held up this adaptation as a positive example for the media industry.
The endorsement came during a high-level engagement with leadership from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) at the Jubilee House last Friday.
The national executive of the GJA paid a courtesy call on the President at the Presidency to introduce themselves and discuss pressing matters affecting the profession.
“Graphic has a good online platform that should be replicated by other state media houses,” the President said.
Commitment
The interaction touched on various aspects of the journalism profession, safety of journalists and other matters of relevance.
President Mahama pledged the full commitment of his administration to work closely with the GJA to address challenges within the media landscape and to improve on the nation's standing on the global press freedom index.
The President expressed concern over Ghana's consistent decline in the international rankings, describing it as an issue that required immediate and collective attention.
Reflecting on his own roots as a trained journalist who interned at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), President Mahama recounted the nation's journey towards media freedom, acknowledging the sacrifices of veterans like Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Kweku Baako Jnr, among others, and credited the liberalising spirit of the 1992 Constitution for opening up the space.
Media transformation
The President stated, however, that the media environment had undergone a radical transformation since those early days.
He observed that the advent of technology and new media had decentralised the industry, allowing anyone with a mobile phone to become a content creator and news disseminator.
While celebrating this pluralism, he raised concerns about the excesses of some unregulated actors, including the use of foul language and hate speech, calling for a national conversation on these emerging challenges.
Media safety
A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to the issue of journalist safety.
President Mahama strongly condemned the frequent harassment of media personnel by security details at public events, stating that he often personally intervened to allow journalists to do their work.
He announced plans to instruct the ministers of the various security agencies to organise a forum for direct interaction with the GJA to foster a better understanding to curb such incidents.
President Mahama disclosed that he had received a comprehensive investigative report from the Police Service on electoral violence during the 2020 and 2024 polls.
He revealed that the report, which detailed the circumstances and victims of the violence, had been handed over to the Attorney-General for possible prosecution and for determining adequate compensation for all affected persons, including any journalist who was caught up in any of the events.
On the matter of state-owned media, the President opposed calls for their wholesale divestiture, arguing that entities like GBC played a crucial non-commercial role in national development, such as providing educational programming in local languages.
He urged them, however, to innovate and adopt digital best practices from leading international outlets to remain relevant and financially sustainable in the new media era.
Press centre
In a move that brought long-standing issues to the fore, President Mahama expressed surprise that the GJA had still not been issued the land title for its Press Centre head office, over two decades after the land was donated by the government during the presidency of J.A. Kufuor.
He directed the Lands Commission to expedite the process to secure the asset for the association, and gave assurances that the government would be willing to support its development.
The President further promised to resuscitate the defunct Media Development Fund in the next national budget.
He acknowledged that the fund had previously “died a premature death” due to administrative challenges, but expressed confidence that a new, transparent governance structure managed jointly by the government and the GJA would ensure that journalists benefited from it effectively.
President Mahama also reaffirmed his dedication to a collaborative partnership with the GJA, aiming to restore Ghana's pride of place as a beacon of media freedom, not only in West Africa but across the entire continent.
GJA Awards
The President of the GJA, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, who was full of praise for the President, called on him to support and grace the upcoming GJA awards to be hosted by the Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
Mr Dwumfour, who was accompanied by other members of the national executive as well as some senior members of the association, assured the President of the media’s commitment to professionalism and collaboration for the development of the country.
