By Gifty Amofa, GNA
Accra, Nov. 25, GNA – Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has commended the Ghana News Agency (GNA) for blazing the trail in national news dissemination and maintaining its credibility despite the fast-changing media landscape.
He said the Agency had, over the decades, distinguished itself as a reliable national asset by upholding accuracy, balance and professionalism at a time when misinformation and unverified content spread swiftly across social media platforms.
Speaking during the 29th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards Dinner, hosted by the King at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the Asantehene noted that the Agency’s role in shaping national discourse remained invaluable.
He encouraged management and staff to continue safeguarding the organisation’s reputation by adhering to its core principles of truth and objectivity.
He emphasised that Ghana’s democracy and governance processes depended heavily on responsible journalism, adding that the GNA’s legacy placed it in a unique position to provide leadership across the media industry.
In all, the GNA swept four awards during the ceremony.
The Asantehene, who was visibly impressed by the Agency’s performance, exclaimed: “Ghana News Agency, surprisingly the old News Agency, received four awards. This is highly commendable!”
The awardees were Issifu Dasmani Laary, the Eastern Regional Manager of the Agency; Albert Oppong Ansah, Editor; James Amoh Junior, Chief Reporter; and Solomon Gumah, Reporter.
The 29th Awards ceremony was on the theme: “Safeguarding Ghana’s Future: The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace, Security and the Fight Against Galamsey.”
Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged stakeholders to help save the mainstream media, especially the print media, from extinction.
He noted that the traditional media, which had served as the bulwark of culture and history, were now struggling for sustenance due to the rise of new media (social media).
“It is now obvious that the state of the media is changing beyond one’s wildest dreams. The old media have been sustained within the ambit of an honoured profession and developing intellectuality over the centuries,” he said.
“Laws and rules made the traditional media the craven of civilisation. Sadly, with the advent of new media, all the old certainties have been thrown out of the window.”
Otumfuor Osei-Tutu noted that social media had left the mainstream media reeling for survival, adding that while traditional news outlets might continue to soldier on in developed countries, the situation in Ghana may be more troubling.
He said it was time for citizens to raise a national call to save the print media, emphasising that they were critical components of the country’s cultural heritage.
Policymakers and consumers, he said, should be concerned about the potential hijacking of the media profession by “professional hustlers” and the looming threat of the profession’s extinction.
He warned that Ghana could not afford media institutions operating without respect for the laws of the land, saying the rule of law underpinned democratic governance.
“Any form of media – whether new or old – operating without legal constraints is potentially a direct threat to democracy,” he cautioned.
As a sovereign state striving to curb impunity in public life, Ghana must also curb impunity in the media space, he added.
“The nation must not only consider the impact of new media on national stability and cohesion, but also its influence on the young minds being nurtured for the future.”
The Asantehene observed that Ghana’s cherished traditional values were being eroded by inappropriate language pervasive in sections of the media, and urged stakeholders to address the situation to preserve the profession’s honour.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe