NCCE organises workshop for Journalists in Kumasi

The issue of how the state media in the midst of resource and logistical constraint could provide fair and balanced coverage to all political parties, took a centre stage at a training workshop for selected journalists in Kumasi on Thursday.

Members of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and other media practitioners selected from the Eastern, Ashanti and the Brong-Ahafo regions attended the workshop organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

The participants noted that the state media was being confronted with a lot of challenges and therefore very difficult to discharge its mandate effectively.

They cited the Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC) for example which in the regions had one camera each to cover all assignments.

The participants wondered how one camera could be used to give fair coverage to all political parties during events leading to the December elections.

They also noted that the state media lacked vehicles to facilitate their job and more often than not being forced to rely on organizers including political parties for the provision of those facilities and wondered how they could function independently without being biased and impartial.

Alhaji Haruna Attah, Editor of the Accra Mail, a private newspaper, and a board member of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the State media is enjoined by the constitution to provide fair and balanced coverage to all political parties irrespective of their circumstances.

He said the issue of logistical constraint was a problem in all government establishments and therefore could not be used to breach a constitutional provision such as the mandate and the obligation of the State media.

However, he said, for the journalists to contribute to a free and fair election, the editors of the state media must use their discretion to ensure that no political party could cite them for contempt of the constitutional provision.

Alhaji Haruna Atta said the constitution also enjoined the state media to cover the President, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state, at all times, but where it was politics, especially in an election year, the editorial discretion should come to play.

He urged journalists to be circumspect and exhibit a high level of professionalism to win the confidence of political parties to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election.

Mrs Charlotte Osei, the Chairman of the NCCE, said the training was necessary because of the upcoming 2012 elections, and the media is a crucial stakeholder that could not be left out.

She said the training was to remind and refresh the skills of journalists to report responsibly and the need to create a platform for trading of issues and not insults and hoped that participants would make a difference in their reportage.