Hold journalists responsible for any unrest - A. Okai

The General Secretary of Pan African Writers Association (PAWA), Mr. Atukwei Okai on Saturday said Ghanaian Journalists should be held responsible for any social unrest in the country.

"If journalists and social commentators failed to be circumspect, objective, truthful and factual in their reportage in line with the sensibility of the cultural norms of the country, and inflame passions, discontent leading to social disorder, they should be held responsible for it," Mr. Okai stated.

Mr. Okai, who was delivering the keynote address at the first Matriculation ceremony of the African Institute of Journalism and Communications (AIJC) in Accra hinted his intentions to propose a private membership bill before parliament to make it mandatory for journalists to be liable for social disorder.

Citing the Rwandan genocide in 1994, which was incited by journalists, Mr. Okai said the political and communications terrain in the country demands legislation to protect national integration.

Speaking in poetry language that he is noted for, Mr. Okai also recognised the vital role of journalists in the social economic transformation of the country and entrenchment of democracy, however, "we need to recognise that there is no absolute power."

The PAWA General Secretary noted the need for advancement in the quality of products of communicators, stressing, "you are the people who are looked to, to interpret the time and season to the ordinary person to understand, set the agenda for society, politicians, and policy makers to follow."

This demands that journalists must be equipped with modern technical skills and machinery to properly process information for easy dissemination to the ordinary man in a fast growing and demanding world.

Mr. Okai advised journalists to accept the modern challenges and demands of the profession with humility and sense of responsibility to propel the nation forward for accelerated growth.

In a fraternal message, Mr. Kwaku Osei Bimpong, President of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana (IPR), appealed to media houses, corporate bodies and institutions to recognise and accept private trained journalists.

Mr. Bimpong, who chaired the occasion pledged the commitment and co-operation of the IPR to the cause of training and equipping media practitioners to perform.

Mr. Kojo Yankah, President of AIJC in a welcoming address noted the need to expand the media landscape by establishing more radio and television stations as well as offer continuing professional training for communication practitioners "to give voice to the large number of voiceless people in our society."

He said the 21st century offers new and greater opportunities for communicators as the age of information and communication technology in a globalised world have outdated most press theories.

Mr. Yankah, who was the former Director of Ghana Institute of Journalism, noted that the changing world demands that professionals in journalism, public relations, advertising and marketing need to be re-trained. Professionals and industrialists, who don't have communication background, need to be information and communication literate. He said AIJC was established to meet the challenges of the technological advancement in the information world and seeks to use creative leadership skills and training techniques to enrich learning and promote professionalism for economic development the nation.