,

Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, a former President of Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) and Diplomat, has commended the contributions of Ghana’s media in the development of the country.

According to him, the media has contributed to Ghana’s democracy and development more than any profession in the country, for which reason it must be commended.

Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere

He made these comments at the 75th anniversary of GJA public lecture series held in Kumasi on Tuesday,18th June 2024, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST).

The 75th GJA anniversary public lecture was under the topic: “75 Years of Excellence in Journalism: Honouring the Past and Embracing the Present”.

The public lecture was organised by GJA, in collaboration with the Department of Language and Communication Studies, KNUST.

He said the National Media Commission (NMC) should never compromise on its vision, but rather live up to its responsibility and social contract with the people of Ghana and promote both ethical and responsible journalism at all times. It should also embrace what the future holds for all journalists.

According to him, the effectiveness of the NMC cannot only be achieved in the passage of broadcasting law; that would empower NMC to carry out its duties…

He expressed concerns over ethical violation, sensationalism and misinformation which Ghana’s media should avoid.

According to him, Ghanaian journalists should have every reason to be proud of their impact and contributions since the Gold Coast days.

Professor Amin Alhassan, Director- General, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, also stated that GJA gave birth to Ghana’s independence…

He added that all media houses are going through very difficult times and it is time to have serious conversations about it in order to rescue the journalism industry.

He mentioned that platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, etc, do not invest in production, but they take the best of advertising revenues.

He stressed that, as a people, there was the need to have a conversation to reflect on it to save media houses.

He stated that the future of journalism is at stake, hence the need to start a conversation to help protect it from losing its core mandate.
Source: Ernest Best Anane