Ensure balanced reporting of all political parties — Prof. Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Prof. Kwame Boasiako Omane- Antwi, has urged journalists of the company to ensure balanced reporting for all the political parties, especially as they gear up for their campaigns towards the November presidential and parliamentary elections.
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He said it was important that reporters followed keenly the activities of all the political parties as they went round the regions so that the company would not be seen as favouring one particular party or another.
‘‘The company stands for integrity and so whatever appear in the various newspaper brands should always appeal to the reader, thereby making the company the best in the entire newspaper industry. Let us try to make our newspapers relevant by embarking on research and presenting quality reports, the chairman said.
Prof. Omane-Antwi gave the advice when he interacted with the staff of the Takoradi office of the company.
Visit/practical solutions
The visit of the board, which formed part of its regional tour, was to learn at first-hand the operations of the company and to help find practical solutions to challenges and also provide innovative ways of enhancing performance.
This is where you make your money at the end of the day and, therefore, you need to commit yourselves to the work, not only by chasing government officials on their rounds but by looking around for qualitative stories that will sell the papers,’’ he pointed out.
The board chairman explained that ‘’We as members will leave the scene after two years and you will still remain so those of you in the regions should work hard to change the perception that Graphic is only in Accra.’’
Motivation
Prof. Omane-Antwi, however, gave an assurance that the board would provide the necessary directions to the management that would translate into motivating the staff of the company to work harder.
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The Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, noted that the newspaper industry was experiencing a lot of challenges and so there was the urgent need to find innovative approaches to selling the papers.
He added that there were high expectations in the current digital era in the industry, saying with the discovery of oil and gas in the Western Region there was a huge focus on the editorial and marketing units to strategise in order to deliver well.
Operational challenges
In her welcome address, the Zonal Business Manager (Central/Western), Memunatu Mahama, catalogued the challenges confronting operations in the zone, including the need for a strong vehicle to help with the distribution of newspapers and collection of cash from the hinterlands.
Members of the board also met with vendors and agents of the company in the region, who told the board about their difficulties in the papers.
However, Madam Benedicta Kluste admitted that she had benefitted a lot from the sale of the Graphic brands as her son was presented with a scholarship to enable him complete his second cycle education at Adisadel College in Cape Coast.
She appealed to her colleagues to love the job they had decided to engage in by being steadfast, truthful and committed since they stood to benefit, saying, ‘‘I feel proud of Graphic.’’
Prof. Omane-Antwi urged the vendors and agents to see themselves as belonging to the Graphic family; and gave an assurance the company would do well to solve their problems for them such as ensuring that the papers arrived timeously.