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General News of Wednesday, 16 July 2003

Source: Chronicle

GJA President Defends Media

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mrs. Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, spoke in defence of the media when she told politicians to polish their language and stop blaming journalists for promoting political intolerance in the country.

"I want to call on them to do this country a favour by trying to polish their language before they communicate. "I want to say that they should not promote hit speech, anytime they begin to promote hit speech it is magnified in the media." Mrs. Affenyi-Dadzie told politicians during the Speaker's Breakfast Forum at the Speaker's Conference Room of the Parliament House in Accra on Monday.

The GJA president was reacting to earlier criticisms by some participants at the forum who were of the opinion that the seemingly political intolerance in the country was as a result of media reportage.

The forum was on the theme: "Promoting a Culture of Political Tolerance in Ghana."

According to Mrs. Affenyi-Dadzie, the media only report based on how politicians conduct themselves on political platforms and even in granting interviews to journalists.

Acknowledging that the Constitution allows everybody freedom of expression, the GJA boss believes that such a freedom should be exercised in decency and decorum.

Minority Leader, Alban S. K. Bagbin said that the perception of Parliament on political intolerance in the country basically seems to come from what people read in the newspapers and see on television and most recently, what they hear from the FM stations.

He cited as an example a Daily Graphic report, sometime last year with an accompanying picture of only the minority group with the President tossing champagne, following a meeting of both sides of the House with President J. A. Kufuor at the Castle.

According to Mr. Bagbin, even though the meeting was intended to create a culture that was to demonstrate to Ghanaians that they were there for the national interest, the photo and write up that followed were discouraging.

Said Bagbin: "And the write up that followed was talking of the generosity and magnanimity of His Excellency, allowing people like us who criticized him "

Mr. Bagbin said he was raising the issue "to showcase the need to support the media, to bring them up, build their capacity and let them stand on their own to play effectively the watchdog role and not to remain pawns in the hands of politicians.

Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Felix Owusu-Adjapong said he saw no reason why such a report would prompt the minority to abandon such a worthy cause.

"Allowing that particular news item, no matter how it was phrased, to derail a good cause meant they have failed," he said and added: "I wish to see a situation that once you are convinced that the event is good no matter what the press comments, it is our duty to help them know that in order for us to move forward this must happen."