William Nyarko
Executive Director of the Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), William Nyarko, has reiterated public calls for the media to take up its rightful position in Ghana’s democratic dispensation so as to inform properly and probe duty-bearers when the need arises.
According to Mr. Nyarko, traditionally, journalists over the years have been trained to be “generalists” and therefore know a little of everything, which in his view, has proven not to be right for modern-day journalism.
He has called on media houses to be interested in investing in the capacity building of their journalists and broadcasters in specific areas so as to make them work better in the area of human rights, for example, and place them in the right position and level to probe the modern-day sophisticated duty-bearers.
Mr. Nyarko was speaking in Tamale in the Northern Region during a training programme on “Media Capacity Building on Human Rights and Investigative Journalism”.
William Nyarko is a trained journalist and has been adjudged the ‘Investigative Journalist of the Year’ on two occasions.
He believes that in order for the media to play its assigned roles as a “Watch Dog” in a democratic setting and to be able to keep duty-bearers and governments on their toes, media practitioners will have to acquire more knowledge and be ready to be professional.
The training is expected to equip selected journalists with some investigative journalism tools and information on human rights.
The Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Hadzide, who made a brief statement at the training, gave an assurance that government was interested in ensuring the safety of Ghanaian journalists and would work with the needed stakeholders to ensure this.
He urged journalists to be fearless and careful in their work. Also, they should take their personal security seriously.
“People are quick to point accusing fingers at government, but don’t forget that some of the people you criticize will not be happy with you and may want to harm you and that is why you have to take your personal security seriously,” Pius Hadzide advised.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Tamale