By Naomi Komeh and Yvonne Asare-Offei’s report.
Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Anin Yeboah says the work of the judiciary and the position it occupies within the constitution requires that information about it is accurate and handled with utmost care in order not to deceive the public.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Judicial Press Corps and the launch of a Handbook for Journalists in Accra, Justice Anin Yeboah stressed that when falsehood is peddled concerning a pending case, it undermines the trust in the judiciary.
This, according to the Chief Justice, has necessitated the inauguration of the Judicial Press Corps. He said Ghana remains a bastion of freedom of speech, hence the urgent need to address the issue of standards and propriety in relation to Court reporting.
Chief Justice, Anin Yeboah said the Journalists have received good training with adequate skills, to enable them to properly relay information about the Courts and events relevant to it to the public.
”The work of the media is imperative for the survival of any democracy. Indeed freedom of the media is one of the surest indicators of the health any republic in any democratic society media performs. Without the media work, security and democracy will not be fruitful. Around the world Media Practitioners perform the necessary functions of keeping citizens informed in other to keep readers in check to make information choices and participate in growth of democracy.” according to Chief Justice, Justice Anim Yeboah.
The Chairman of the NMC, Yaw Boadu- Ayeboafo entreated the newly inaugurated Judicial Press Corps to be accurate with their reportage and not always be in a hurry to break news which could result in conflicts
”The timing of the inauguration and the launch of the hand book is in the right direction,” he noted.
Mr. Ayeboafo asked the Judicial Service to work together with the NMC in reviewing their Hand Book to ensure professionalism.
Dean of the Judicial Press Corps is Wilberforce Asare.
The inauguration was graced by some justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court.
