Betway, SWAG hold Sports Writers Conference

The General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association has advised sports journalists to be cautious in their critique of personalities in order to avoid defamatory suits.

Mr Addo who doubles as a legal practitioner stressed that preceding defamatory statements with words such as "allege" will not save prevent journalists from being sued.

Conference

Mr Addo made this known last Friday at the Betway Sports Sports Writers Conference held in Accra.

Responding to a question as to whether it was appropriate to use the word “alleged” in broadcasts, the former Disciplinary Committee Chairman of the GFA said, "don’t be tempted to use alleged and think you are free, you are not. You can be taken on at any time by those who feel hurt. Using alleged before defaming people won’t save you”.

He also offered journalists tips on how to avoid making defamatory statements and attracting defamation suits.

The event, organized by sports betting company, Betway, in collaboration with the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, brought together over 80 sports journalists drawn from print, radio, online and TV to deliberate on trends in sports journalism.

The Conference was preceded by a similar event two days earlier in Kumasi.

Panel

Mr Addo was joined on the panel by the Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana and Editor of the Graphic Sports, Mr Maurice Quansah and the Head of Sports for Media General, Michael Oti-Adjei

In his address, Mr Quansah stressed the need for sports journalists to remain ethical and professional at all times in their bid to influence the sports they cover.

He urged participants of the conference to be concerned about their personal development and to make daily efforts to acquire knowledge that was pertinent in improving their abilities as sports journalists.

On his part, Mr Adjei urged journalists to adapt to new media trends such as social media in their practice.

Certificates

The over 80 participants of the conference were later handed certificates at the end of the conference.