The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has received high commendation from the United States Embassy in Ghana for standing up to politicians who attack media personnel in the line of duty.
The Embassy has underscored that for democracy to thrive in any part of the world, it is critical to protect its pillars, including the media, which promotes freedom of expression and accountability.
Therefore, any form of attack on the media should not be allowed to persist. The Press Attache of the Embassy, Kevin Brosnahan, made this point during a capacity-building workshop for selected journalists in Fumesua, Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region.
At the workshop, Mr. Brosnahan praised the GJA for calling for accountability for those journalists who suffered attacks during election processes, stating that this is a great example of a democratic institution protecting the democratic process.
In a bid to enhance professional competencies in election reporting and ensure peaceful and violence-free Presidential and Parliamentary polls in Ghana this year, the GJA, under its ‘Journalists for Peaceful Discourse’ project funded by the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, organised a training programme for journalists in the Ashanti, Bono Bono East, and Ahafo regions, constituting Zone Three.
The Fumesua training programme was the third in a series of such programmes for journalists in the country this year.
The one-day event featured resource persons from the Language and Communications Science Department of the KNUST, Electoral Commission, and Ghana Police Service, who took participants through topics such as ‘Facts Checking to Counter Dis-and Misinformation in Election Reporting’ and ‘The Police, Media and Election Coverage’, among others.
At the training, the President of the GJA, Albert Dwumfuor, used the opportunity to explain that the Association's recent blackouts against some politicians for allegedly attacking journalists in their line of duty were a last resort after various measures had failed to produce the desired responses from state actors.
He assured journalists that the GJA would escalate its measures in the coming days and would not compromise on prioritising the welfare, safety, and protection of media practitioners in the country as Ghana enters an electioneering period.
Mr. Dwumfuor condemned persons, especially those whose duty it is to protect the media from interference and abuse, who attack the Association for its new approach to protect media practitioners in the country.
He charged journalists to always balance media freedom with responsibility, stating that the GJA believes that freedom of expression entails ensuring responsibility and protecting the space in which they operate.
All the attacks under consideration were duly reported to the Ghana Police Service for legal action, but not even an official acknowledgment had been received from the Police, according to the GJA President.
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Press Attache of the Embassy, Kevin Brosnahan