GSS, UNFPA officials with Journalists in Tamale
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), with funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has organized a three-day training for journalists around the Northern sector in Tamale.
About 40 journalists were selected from Bono, Bono East, Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions.
The objective of the training is aimed at strengthening the capacity of media practitioners with the requisite acknowledge, skills and best practices for covering and reporting on population statistics and sexual reproductive health issues.
The Programme Analyst for Population and Development UNFPA, Mutaru Goro Iddrisu, noted that UNFPA and its partners have realized that sometimes media reportage does not base on evidence and inaccuracies in data regarding population issues, reason why they organized the capacity workshop for media practitioners.
“We have taken this opportunity to build your capacity to be able to understand population issues and communicate well so that when you are reporting you will report on results based and back your report with evidence and data that will give you more credibility.”
He urged journalists to specialize in specific area other than the usual news reporting.
“You need to carve a niche for yourself so that you will be known and to be expertise in specific areas of reporting and that is when you can do good research and reporting.”
The Head of Regional Offices Directorate of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Emmanuel G. Osei, was optimistic that the training has enhanced the skills and capacity of journalists regarding population issues and entreated journalists to report more on issues to impact society.
“If we are able to report and bring out issues that we have discussed from the workshop, policy makers will begin to stand up and realize that they need to take up issues seriously so that at the end it will benefit the whole society.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale