By Christiana Afua Nyarko
Accra, April 25, GNA – Journalists from selected media houses have been trained by the African Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF) on how to report effectively on issues pertaining to academic freedom – an aspect of Freedom of Expression.
The workshop, organised in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), and the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), served as a platform for resource persons from academia to interact with the journalists on Academic Freedom.
Media personnel were schooled on the various approaches to reporting on the subject and the international and domestic legal frameworks that governed it.
Professor Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua of the University of Ghana, a resource person, explained the essence of academic freedom in democratic societies, citing the existing domestic and international legal frameworks.
These include Article 69 and 70 of the 1992 Constitution, the UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel, and the Kampala Declaration on Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility of 1990 as some of the legal frameworks that protected Academic Freedom.
Prof Appiagyei-Atua, who is also the Regional Director of ACAF, provided some indicators for journalists to look out for during their reportage on related matters, which include the infliction of violence, intimidation, and wrongful arrests.
Mr Zakaria Tanko Musa, a Legal Practitioner and Lecturer at the University of Media Arts and Communications, demonstrated how academic freedom, which derived its strength from the Freedom of Expression as enshrined in Article 21 (Clause 1a) of the 1992 Constitution, was closely linked to press freedom.
“… While the Constitution does not explicitly mention academic freedom, it guarantees freedom of expression, which can be interpreted to include academic freedom…,” he said.
“When we are safeguarding the rights to freely express and the right to freedom of the media, we should also be mindful of the fact that that right includes academic freedom.”
The session provided an opportunity for the participants to present practical ideas on how to collaborate with academia to effectively and objectively report and embark on advocacies on issues pertaining to academic freedom.
Mr Kofi Yeboah, the General Secretary of the GJA, urged the journalists to involve more academic experts in their news reportage and on issues involving academic freedom.
While commending ACAF for including the GJA in the workshop planning, he appealed to Coalition to encourage journalists through motivation to report on the subject matter.
Madam Gloria Hiadzi, the Executive Secretary for GIBA, said ACAF should create more opportunities for women to be trained in such workshops to ensure gender balance.
GNA
ABD