By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has warned that it will not at any point shield or cover the unprofessional behaviour and conduct of journalists ahead of this year’s electioneering campaign. The GJA is therefore calling for the promotion of free and fair elections and the protection and promotion of professionalism before, during, and after the general elections.
The Vice President of GJA, Linda Asante Agyei, was speaking at a training workshop for selected journalists and various party representatives in Tamale. It was organised by the GJA with support from the US Embassy in Ghana.
The workshop was attended by journalists from the five regions of the North. It forms part of the GJA/US Embassy Ghana Elections 2024 project dubbed ‘Journalists for Peaceful Discourse”.
The 10-month project is aimed at building the capacities of journalists and stakeholders to conduct themselves and ensure peaceful elections come December.
Mrs Agyei said a peaceful election hinges on media roles; therefore, journalists must be mindful of their conduct since unprofessional conduct can make or unmake She was hopeful the training would equip practices to uphold the tenets of press freedom and freedom of speech while promoting professionalism. She further urged practitioners to be mindful of the questions they ask and what they put out there, lest it fuel violence.
Council Member, Northern Regional Peace Council, Bishop Professor Albert Luguterah, in his presentation on “Protecting Peace in Ghana, the Stakes, and the Role of the Media,” called on journalists to adopt an ethical and selective journalistic approach in their reportage.
National Network Coordinator, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Ghana), Albert Yelyang, who touched on “What is/and how must journalists respond to security situations,” urged media practioners to desist from inciting or inflaming passion when reporting on sensitive issues.