President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney has stated that, the government funded National Media Capacity Enhancement Programme will see the improvement of journalistic standards in the country.
He stated the essence of the program as helping identify both positive and negative conditions of journalists and how best to shape the system for journalists to work professionally. “Technically this will help move the country forward,” he stated.
Speaking with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, Mr. Affail Monney said, “the series of topics treated will give journalists deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The conference has targeted 900 participants and is a conference which will be instituted and carried out nationwide.”
He believes education is not only about people who had the opportunity to attend school. “Education also includes learning on the job to sharpen your skills and this is why this capacity enhancement programme was birthed. Now journalists can learn on the job to sharpen their skills and also to improve journalistic standards.”
According to him, the capacity building exercise is premised on the foundation principles of accuracy, objectivity, balance and ethics in the media. “Journalism is about well packaged news and information that can bring about a country’s economic advancement and democracy is impossible without the media.”
He made known of the fact that, government does not dictate how journalistic programs are run, but rather facilitate it with money “and this does not allow us to be partisan in our work.”
Ghana’s maiden National Media Capacity Enhancement Programme commenced in Kumasi on Monday, January 10, 2022.
The programme is designed to provide scholarships for some 250 journalists to be trained annually, and is expected to contribute to deepening media professionalism nationwide.
It forms part of collaborative efforts by stakeholders in the media industry to support the sector which has been challenged in recent times.
By: Nancy Doe
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