A senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Dr. Ebo Afful, has called on politicians not to take potshots at media organisations which are doing critical journalism in the country.
According to him, critical journalism, which allows journalists to independently and critically do in-depth analysis of facts and not just believe what they are told, should be celebrated since that is what the nation needs to accelerate development.
Speaking at a media engagement organised by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs last Friday, Dr. Afful, who is the Head of Media Studies at GIJ, said the political class should not victimise journalists who think independently and critically.
The event was held on the theme: “Economic Revitalization amid Covid-19 Pandemic: The Media Agenda.”
“My point to the political class is that they are always talking about calling on journalists to report on what they are doing. But if journalism is to have the needed impact on society, journalists should be telling stories, and if they should be telling stories, then they are supposed to be critical,” he said.
He also said that “and in this country, when the media or journalists are being critical of policies formulated by the political class, the response is that the media is undermining our effort. The media are sabotaging our effort,” adding “so at the end of the day, the news media or journalists are reduced to protocol journalists – just saying what the politicians are telling them and not doing any analysis of the issues.”
Dr. Afful wants journalists to be made participants of policy formulation after lamenting that the media are always kept out when policies are being formulated and “are only called in when we are implementing the policies. And when there are problems, then we blame the media.”
“The news media are needed when they are formulating the policies so that the media will engage citizens for the citizens to express their views with regard to the kind of policy that the government will want to formulate,” he said.
“And it is at that point that problems with regard to the policies will be highlighted and that will inform the kind of policies we will finally formulate for the country. This is a critical point that we should all take into consideration.”
He urged journalists not to be scared in sharing their views on issues, pointing out that the theory that “journalists are not supposed to express their view” is archaic.
For him, journalists are required to do intellectual analysis of issues in order to tell stories that move, organise and teach people.
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said they are engaging the media as part of the ministry’s strategic objective of deepening democratic governance.
According to him, the country has become a model democracy for other nations in Africa and beyond and “we can argue that the media’s contribution has been phenomenal towards that feat.”
“You are increasingly emerging a real partner in our quest for sustainable development, and I must commend you for your efforts,” he added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu