Employ tact in your reportage-Mr Bemile urges journalists

Accra, May 24, GNA – Journalists were on Thursday advised to employ tact in their reportage and avoid granting airtime and space to individuals who would inflame passions ahead of the December general election.

Mr Stephen Bemile, Vice President of Jayee University College (JUC) gave the advice at the launch of the institute's 25th Anniversary celebration and logo in Accra.

He said “it is a well-documented fact that the fire of genocide that raged and razed Rwanda was stoked by and through the media”.

Mr Bemile also charged the professionals to live above reproach stressing that “the journalist carries the conscience of the society and therefore, the corruption of the journalist will lead inevitably to the corruption of society and imminently, its demise”.

He expressed gratitude to stakeholders who had contributed towards the successes chalked out by the institute and added that management was committed towards making the institute “best tertiary institution in Management and Journalism in Ghana recognized internationally”.

Mr Bemile said activities outlined to mark the Anniversary celebration included Alumni Homecoming, congregation, fun games, exhibition and an awards ceremony and dinner dance.

Meanwhile the Media Foundation for West African (MFWA) on Thursday indicted the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for use of indecent language on air after six weeks of monitoring of expressions on radio.

Results of the radio monitoring by MFWA made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra showed that supporters and officials of the NPP continued to dominate in the use of indecent expressions.

According to the report, supporters and officials of the opposition NPP made 10 out of the total 19 indecent expressions monitored from May 6, to May 12, whilst the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) followed closely with 7 indecent expressions.

Highlights of the findings indicated that two personalities, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, a Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, and Chris Dugan of FONKAR, ( a group within the NDC that supports the Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings), were found to have used more than one indecent expression during the week.

According to the MFWA report, insults and offensive comments dominated the indecent expressions recorded during the forecast period.

MFWA in its bid to promote issues-based and decent language campaigning in Ghana's 2012 elections launched this project to monitor and report indecent expression by politicians and political activists in the campaign process.

The project involves monitoring specific programmes on 31 selected radio stations, and exposing politicians and activists who use indecent expressions as well as naming the radio stations on which such expressions are made.

The project is funded by STAR-Ghana, a multi-donor pooled funding mechanism funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID to increase the influence of civil society and Parliament in the governance of public goods and service delivery.

The funding seeks to ultimately improve the accountability and responsiveness of the government, traditional authorities and the private sector in Ghana.

The theme for the celebration is “25 Years of Human Capital Development: The Way Forward.”

JUC is an accredited educational institute of higher learning which was established in 1987.

Currently it runs Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with options in Sports, Business and Finance, Political Reporting and French.

It also runs Diploma programmes in Journalism with options in Sports Reporting, Political Reporting, Environmental Reporting and Economic Reporting.

GNA