Execute your mandate with utmost professionalism, Akufo-Addo admonishes media

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (2nd left) congratulating Mr Awini Asitanga Awinpang Dominic (right), the Overall Best Student at the 12th graduation ceremony of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). Looking on is Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (left), the Minister of Education Picture : SAMUEL TEI ADANO

Graphic Online, Sat, Aug 4, 2018

by Donald Ato Dapatem

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Ghanaian media not to consider juicy headlines and breaking news at the expense of the future and integrity of the country.

He advised the media to take a second look at the power they wielded and the responsibility they owed to society and execute their mandate with utmost professionalism while abiding by the ethics of the profession.

The President made the call at the 12th graduation ceremony of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in Accra yesterday. It was on the theme: “Strengthening Media Literacy and Communication Excellence in Ghana”.

The GIJ is the premier journalism institute in West Africa and this year’s graduation ceremony was its first at its uncompleted new campus at Dzorwulu in Accra.

Challenges
President Akufo-Addo pointed out that the media were faced with a deliberate campaign by some elements in the democratic space to misinform and the inadvertent misinformation by media practitioners in their desire to be the first to break the news, as well as have juicy and punchy headlines.

“There is an inadvertent misinformation by the mainstream media when facts were twisted,” he stated, adding that even when the truth emerged, the mainstream media always failed to publish the facts and rather swept the matter under the carpet and moved on to other issues.


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