A Media and Communication Educator, Professor Kwame Karikari, has asked Journalism training institutions to consider the introduction of courses in local languages to promote professionalism in non-English radio stations.
He said though professionalism was quite high in the media landscape, the wrong use of local languages by radio stations was a great concern.
Prof Karikari said this when he took his turn at the third edition of the MTN 25th Anniversary Bright Conversation on the theme: “Promoting Professionalism in The Era of Social Media and Citizen Journalism.”
“Let’s admit that a lot of unprofessional journalism has to do with the fact that many radio and television stations are owned by politicians and politically exposed persons and that is where a lot of the unprofessionalism comes from, especially in the use of local languages.
“But we have not really faced any serious problem of radio and television creating the kind of dangers that you might find in different parts of the world,” he said.
Prof. Karikari, the former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, commended the State-owned media for high professionalism and asked it to take critical look at the Constitution and their responsibility of questioning authority and opening up to dissenting views.
“So, the public sector media; GBC, GNA, Ghanaian Times and Daily Graphic, l think they have displayed quite a number of professional standards,” Prof Karkari noted, urging them to get more critical.
He said within the private sector, journalists in the radio and TV stations also had for a number of times, displayed some level of professionalism that was comparable to others and urged them to maintain the standards.
The MTN Bright Conversations series is a novel initiative by MTN Ghana as part of activities marking the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
The purpose is to celebrate distinguished persons whose ideas, thoughts and reflections have helped to shape the Ghanaian society.
The first and second editions hosted Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, the immediate past Chairman of the National Media Commission and Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee of the Salt and Light Ministries.
Professor Kwame Karikari, a champion of free speech and an independent media, has been for many years, a professor in Journalism and Mass communication at the School of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana.
He has also been involved in training journalists in several countries in Africa over the years.
Prof. Karikari practised as a journalist, including; serving as Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in the early 1980s.
He is celebrated for pursuing social justice and human rights causes in Africa, including; democratic reforms in Ghana.
GNA