Guest editorial team edits Monday’s Graphic
The Newsroom of the Daily Graphic will not be its usual self tomorrow as the leadership of the nation’s leading newspaper will step aside to allow a guest editorial team to lead the production of the paper for Monday.
Advertisement
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, would temporarily offer his seat to the former Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, to lead the guest editing team.
The editorial team
Other members of the editorial team are Mr Enimil Ashong, Deputy Editor; Nanabanyin Dadson, News Editor; Mr K.K. Dako, Chief Sub-Editor; Mr Emmanuel Amoako, Production Editor; Alhaji Razak El-Alawa, Features Editor; Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, Gender Page Editor; Mr Stanley Felten, Photo Editor, and Brigette Dzorgbenuku, Head of Proofreading.
Apart from Ms Dzorgbenuku, a former Miss Ghana, all the others have a vast experience in journalism and photography.
All other sub-editors and reporters of the newspaper would constitute a pool of reporters from which the day’s News Editor and Editor could assign to cover various events.
The team would produce an Independence Day edition that would highlight the country’s transition from a newly independent country to its present status.
The current editorial team would not be at the editorial conference where Monday’s stories would be selected. The task would be left in the hands of the stand-in team.
Innovation is key
Speaking at a meeting to hand over Sunday’s editorial responsibilities to the stand-in team, Mr Tetteh was optimistic that something new could come out of the initiative.
Other Trending Stories
He said innovation was key, at a time newspaper readership was shrinking because of competition from the electronic and the social media.
“That is why we have gone on the digital platform hoping that readers here and the diaspora would buy the paper and we could also make some money. We are introducing this novelty so that something interesting may come from our senior colleagues. The ultimate is to improve the bottom-line because we don’t depend on anybody for resources but ourselves.
“We are not sure how it will look like but we hope you will constitute a competent team that would take this initiative to a different level and whatever it is, we are likely to learn something new from you. Some of those things may test the reputation of the status quo.”
“We also want to tap into your rich and wide knowledge and expertise in whatever field and our hope is when you come, we will work together to produce something outstanding.”
“On Sunday, we would give you all the support. The reporters would be at work and you can send us the senior ones if you think there are some stories we can work on. Feel free to do so because we want it to succeed. We would not just fold our arms and watch you,” he said.
Souvenir edition
Mr Blay-Amihere, for his part, said the group would leave a special stamp on the souvenir edition of the paper.
“I don’t think we can change the status quo within this short period but at least we can bring some input. We would reflect on areas that would be memorable because it would be a souvenir issue. So our stamp should be there, however minimal it would be.”
“We have respected and experienced journalists who have seen it all, so it makes it easier. We want to thank you for the honour to kick-start this idea,” he added.
Elsewhere
Guest editing of newspaper is not new but it would probably be the first time the initiative will happen in the newspaper industry in Ghana.
On October 9, 2015, 12 refugees (with journalism background) from different countries guest-edited that day’s edition of a Danish daily newspaper, Information, to give their views on Europe's migration crisis.
Similarly, the April 7, 2015 edition of the New Statesman of the United Kingdom was guest-edited by Jemima Khan, an English journalist, heiress and campaigner. It was a free speech special issue featuring contributions from Julian Assange, the Wikileaks boss, film director Oliver Stone, actor Tim Robbins, Tory Member of Parliament Rory Stewart, and artist Damien Hirst.