By Rahama Nasara Yakubu
Tamale, Oct. 31, GNA – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, has held a capacity-building workshop for journalists and bloggers, to enhance their skills in fact-checking and conflict-sensitive reporting.
The two-day training, which sought to promote peace through responsible media practice, brought together participants including religious leaders from the northern part of the country.
Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary, National Media Commission, lauded the initiative saying empowering journalists, religious leaders, and community influencers was not merely a technical exercise but a moral mission.
He said it was about equipping those who shaped public consciousness with the wisdom to use their voices for peace, to resist manipulation, and to defend the truth.
He urged the participants to uphold ethical standards in their work saying, “Religious wisdom calls us to verify before we amplify, to humanise before we headline, and to speak to conscience before we speak of conviction.”
Mr Sarpong added that “Violent extremism doesn’t begin with a weapon; it begins with a word. We want microphones that heal, pulpits that unite and social media that feeds.”
Mr Albert Futukpor, the Northern Regional Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association cautioned journalists against speculation and sensationalism saying, “Practice humility when you do not know, and when verified information is lacking, explain that clearly to your audience rather than filling the gaps with speculation.”
He urged journalists to sharpen their verification skills, internalise conflict-sensitive principles, and apply a newsroom checklist before publication.
“Our journalism should protect life, strengthen democracy and foster reconciliation,” he said.
Madam Melody Azinim, a Peace and Governance Analyst at the UNDP Ghana, encouraged participants to integrate lessons from the training into their daily work to sustain the country’s peaceful image.
She said, Ghana was a peaceful country, and they should work hard to reverse the country to its good old days or even better.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/ Christabel Addo