Linda Tenya-Ayettey (left) and Jamila Akweley Okertchiri pose with their awards
DAILY GUIDE has grabbed three awards at the 23rd Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards ceremony held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra on Saturday on a night when journalists and media houses are celebrated and awarded for positive works that impact societies.
Jamila Akweley Oketchiri received the Best Female Journalist of the Year Award presented by the United States (US) Embassy while Linda Tenyah-Ayettey won the award for the Best HIV/AIDS Report.
The award for the Best Cartoon for print also went to DAILY GUIDE’s ‘Akosua’ who was conspicuously absent.
The programme was on the theme: “State of Investigative Journalism: Boundaries of Privacy and Borders of the Public Interest,” and had Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo, the Chief Justice, as the guest speaker.
It was chaired by Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, a law professor of the University of Ghana.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Information-designate, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, announced that the ministry had developed a media capacity enhancement programme to help build the capacity of journalists in the country.
He said the programme, which would be rolled out next year, would be funded by the government and other partners.
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah said scholarships would be given to journalists under the programme as the aim was to get journalists to shift their focus from sensational stories to that of those on which the country stands for.
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah said the ministry had already written the proposal to the Ministry of Finance and indicated that the budget for the capacity-enhancement programme would be captured in the 2019 budget of the Ministry of Finance.
He said the Ministry of Information would be liaising with the National Media Commission (NMC), the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association and Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the implementation of the programme.
Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, in her speech, narrated the tenets of the law as it applied to the freedom of the press highlighting the role of key journalists who played critical roles in its achievement.
Touching on the issue of investigative journalism, the Chief Justice urged the media to find the balance between what is in the interest of the public and invasion of privacy.
“A reputation once damaged can never be gotten back no matter the apology or retraction a journalist or a media house does,” she stressed.
She also expressed concern over the lack of detailed reportage from the courts regarding constitutionalism.
“I want to see in the near future more well-researched reports on law,” she disclosed.
She later congratulated the winners on their courage in reporting on issues of national development.
GJA President, Affial Monney, bemoaned the poor working conditions of journalists in the country and that the Association, in partnership with the Trades Union Congress (TUC), would come up with a plan to seek better working conditions for journalists in the country.
“The one journalist, one house project has started” he said.
Other Award Winners
Bernard Avle, host of the ‘The Citi Breakfast Show,’ on Accra-based radio station Citi FM was adjudged the PAV Journalist of the Year 2017.
He received, among other things, a three-bedroom house, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), cash, some products from AshFoam and a certificate and plaque.
Joy FM’s Seth Kwame Boateng won the Best Journalist in Health; Sadick Adam of Atinka, won the Best Journalist in Sports; Samuel Akapule, with Ghanaian Times, Best Journalist in Human Rights, and David Andoh, Joy FM, Best Photo Journalist.
The Best Child Rights Reporter went to Rebecca Quaicoo Duho; Best Oil and Gas Reporter went to Moses Dotse Aklorbortu; News Reporting/Best Features was won by Severious Kale Dery and Seth J. Bokpe of Daily Graphic.
Joseph Opoku Gakpo of Multimedia won the Best Agriculture Reporter; Timothy Nanegbe had the Sustainable Development Goals Award, while Stanley Blewu of TV3 won the Best Investigative Reporter award.
The GJA Komla Dumor Most Promising Journalist went to Ms Alice Ayitey of GHOne.
Other award winners are from GNA: Joyce Danso, who won the Best Crime and Court Reporter award; Caesar Abagail, picked the Best WASH award; Christian Akorli, received the award for Small and Micro Scale Enterprises, while Godwill Arthur-Mensah, won the Best Small-Scale Illegal Mining award.
Honorary awards were also conferred on some distinguished individuals whose works had left positive footprints in the annals of media development in the country.
They were Gifty Afenyi Dadzie, former President of GJA; Pastor Joseph Aaron Hagan of the Valley View University, Faustina Nelson and Kwame Osei Despite, CEO of Despite Group.
A posthumous award was also presented to the late Chris Alalbila, former Upper West Regional Correspondent of GBC and Chairman of the Regional GJA.
BY: Nii Adjei Mensahfio & Jamila Akweley Okertchiri