A Former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, (GBC) Professor Kwame Karikari has called on government to set up a committee to study how the state Broadcaster as well as the media landscape in general can harness the benefits from the emergence of new technologies.
He said Technology has come to stay, hence the need to take advantage of it to improve media content. Prof Karikari called for more support to the Ministry of Information in its bid to successfully implement the Digital Migration.
Prof. Was speaking at the 70th Anniversary Public Lecture of the GJA in Accra on the theme: Journalism Yesterday and Today, Repositioning Media with Technology.
The need to take full advantage of yhe emergence of technology was echoed by speakers at the 70th Anniversary lecture of the GJA. In his lecture, Prof. Kwame Karikari, who is the Dean of the School of Communication Studies at the Wisconsin International University cited several examples from his time as Director General of GBC in the early 80s, to drum home the need to take full advantage of technology in media practice.
He bemaoned the situation where community radios across the country have had less support from stakeholders, leading to the collapse of many. Prof Karikari said a committee whose work will focus on how the media can harness ghe benefits of new technology will be critical to the quality of output in the future.
He called on stakeholders to support government in the implementation of the Digital Migration.
In attendance were the Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, veteran journalists as well as stakeholders in the sector.
For her part, a veteran journalist and a former Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, who was the chairperson for the occasion, said the emergence of technology should not take aways the focus of the media on content.
According to her, technology though very useful, can be dangerous if not controlled.
Mad. Elisabeth Ohene gave instances where technology has been used to manufacture content which has fueled the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Communications Consultant Godwin Avernorgbe advised journalists not to focus on unnecessary criticisation of the Minister for Information.
Story filed by Nathaniel Nartey
