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“I remain a staunch GJA member, I'm a solid dues paying member” – Gayheart

Social News I remain a staunch GJA member, I'm a solid dues paying member – Gayheart
OCT 19, 2021 LISTEN

“I remain a staunch member of the Ghana Journalists Association,” Mr Gayheart Mensah, Presidential Aspirant of the GJA has stated and debunked assertions that he left the journalism profession.

“I have worked with the GJA consistently uninterrupted for years, am a solid dues paying member of the Association,” Mr Mensah who was interacting with journalists of the Ghana News Agency, Tema Regional Office stated, and stressed that “I remained a member of the Association and contributed my quota by lobbying every company I worked at to sponsor the GJA awards for years”.

Mr Mensah added that even though he diverted at some point from mainstream journalism “I continued to contribute to the growth and development of journalism as lecturer of advanced journalism at the masters' level at the Ghana Institute of Journalism”.

“I was forced by occupational development handicaps to move up and explore other opportunities as I realized that there was no further climbing up for me as at age 32, I was already an Editor of the Ghanaian Times meaning I would be stagnant at that position for about 28 years before retiring from active service as an editor could not grow to become a manager there”.

Touching on his resolve to join the GJA race, Mr Mensah noted that an assessment he made on the activities of the Association made him realized that it needed a clean-up, and with his numerous experiences in management level at various corporate organization he was the best man to head the Association.

According to him, to empower the GJA, he came out with what he called POWER-UP which comprised of Professionalism, Organization, Welfare, Engagement and Restoration/Respect for the journalism profession.

It is also a call on members to up their game and take-up their rightful position as the fourth estate of the realm.

Mr Mensah said journalists need to build their professionalism, competencies and skills to attract the right things, saying he would ensure that members received the needed training to build their capacity on the job.

He said the GJA must be better organized by having modern database for keeping records of members among others, emphasizing that “we need to rebuild the association because it is crumbling”.

Touching on welfare issues, he said it was wrong for the Association to only voice out when members were attacked without developing some guidelines for the protection of journalists on the field.

Mr Mensah said the GJA must be empowered and be more engaged on national issues saying “we must be the fourth estate of the realm, in reality, we don't have a voice on national issues, we need to have a voice as an association on national issues.”

GNA

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