Use press freedom to effect change on media landscape — GJA President

Ghana has climaxed the 2016 World Press Freedom Day with a call on journalists to use press freedom as a tool to effect change on the media landscape.

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Affail Monney, said such a change should include the sanitisation of the airwaves, greater transparency in the allocation of frequencies and frequent capacity building for practitioners.

He contended that failure to effect such a change could lead to the stagnation of the media and undermine media relevance in the country.

Flag-raising ceremony 

Mr Monney was speaking at a symposium and flag-raising ceremony to mark the 2016 celebration of World Press Freedom Day in Accra on Tuesday.

The day was celebrated globally on the theme: “Access to information and fundamental freedoms: This is your right”.

The day is celebrated annually on May 3 to increase awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

It also marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.

Last Tuesday’s event was attended by veteran journalists, managers and editors of media houses, as well as stakeholders in the communications industry.

Various stakeholders, such as UNESCO Ghana, the Accra Brewery Limited, Voltic Ghana and the United Nations, gave solidarity messages at the ceremony.

However, the Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who was expected to deliver the keynote address, did not show up. 

Opportunities 

Mr Monney said the global theme for the celebration had offered the GJA another opportunity to reiterate its concern over the delay in the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill.

He said Ghana‘s current 26th position on the World Press Freedom Index and second in Africa underscored the need to make the celebration a priority.

It also meant that the media climate locally was highly favourable to free expression and media practice, he stressed.

On behalf of all journalists, Mr Monney congratulated all governments in the Fourth Republic for their contribution to ensuring press freedom in the country.

He also saluted Ghanaians for their encouragement through forbearance, even of the excesses of the media for the sake of press freedom.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the National Media Commission, Mr Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, urged stakeholders not to relent on their efforts at ensuring the passage of the RTI.

He expressed worry over the poor attendance of the ceremony and called on stakeholders to put in place measures to ensure that future celebrations were given the priority they deserved from all media houses and practitioners. 

A public lecture was organised by the GJA, in collaboration with the European Union (EU), in Accra on Saturday to usher in the day.

It was on the theme: “Promoting transparency and informed choices in a democracy: The role of Right to Information”.

Writer’s email doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh