By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, Nov. 28, GNA – Mrs Beatrice Asamani Savage, the Director of Editorial, Ghana News Agency (GNA), has reminded the Agency’s journalists of their roles in nation building and the need for credible and conflict sensitive reportage, particularly in the upcoming election to ensure credibility.
Quality information, devoid of inflammatory and divisive language, was critical to creating a well-informed society capable of making informed decisions to advance the cause of democratic governance, she said.
Mrs Asamani Savage was engaging journalists, stringers and volunteers of the GNA Western Regional Office at a workshop on Election Reporting.
She said the media space must provide programmes that entrenched cohesion of the Ghanaian society rather than breaking its fronts.
Electoral violence had resulted in instability and retarded development of many African countries, which made it imperative for Ghanaians to jealously guard the peace.
Journalists had a special role to educate the populace with truthful and factual reportage devoid of misinformation and disinformation in order not to incite the people and create conflicts, Mrs Asamani Savage said.
“Peace is a pre-requisite for development because it creates an enabling environment for the fundamentals of society’s progress. Countries ravaged by conflicts are lagging in development and this is why journalists must be conflict sensitive in their reportage.”
She urged the reporters to be committed to factchecking their information and avoid being complacent of the successes the nation had chalked in previous elections, adding that every election had its own dynamics.
“Be professional in your line of duty and do not allow yourselves to be influenced by politicians with tokens,” the Director of Editorial cautioned.
Mrs Justina Paaga, the Western Regional Manager, GNA, in her welcoming address, said the Agency attached much importance to training and skills acquisition to ensure that journalists produced quality reports.
She entreated the participants to carefully perform their roles in nation building and dispatch their duties in a more effective manner.
The region had hotspots, some of which were Shama, Ellembelle, Wassa East, Essikado-Ketan and Amenfi Central, Mrs Paaga said, and urged the journalists to be careful when covering such areas.
“Prioritise your personal safety; you need to live to tell the story,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the Management for the training and was hopeful that it would enable reporters to produce credible and interesting stories during and after the December 7 polls.
GNA