The Ghanaian Times says Press freedom must mean responsibility. The paper welcomes the fact that the occasion of World Press Freedom Day is to inform citizens of violations of press freedom and a reminder that in some countries journalists are attacked and murdered just for sharing information with the public. Thus it painfully recall the gruesome murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale in Accra and other incidents of assault by both police personnel and civilians on innocent journalists in the country. The Times is hopeful the national coordinating mechanism for the safety of journalists announced by the Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Hadzide yesterday will bring an end to growing impunity against journalists to enable them to discharge their mandate without fear or favour. It says a prosperous nation can be built if stakeholders including government and journalists acknowledge the essence of press freedom and cooperate to make it count in favour of citizens.
The Daily Graphic calls on all to ensure freedom and dignity of the press this is because the media need the freedom to perform its core mandate of educating, informing and entertaining the public. The paper urges all elections of the public to see it a duty to protect journalists wherever and whenever they are under threat. It joins media stakeholders who have called on government, the security agents and media owners to prioritise and promote the safety of journalists so that the media is empowered to play its constitutionally mandated watchdog role effectively. The Graphic urges media practitioners to report factually, use experts in areas they have inadequate knowledge of and take the sensibilities of the public into consideration in the discharge of their work.
