By Emmanuel Oti Acheampong
Ghana goes to the polls in December 2024, and the media will be a vital and pivotal agent in the democratic discourse. Electorates will depend on the media for information on policies made by their favourite political parties, while political parties will solely engage the media and journalists to publish information for electorates.
In a bid to ensure professionalism in the key role media persons will play before, during, and after the elections in 2024, the Ghana Journalists Association, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Ghana, has launched the Election 2024 project dubbed ‘Journalists for Peaceful Discourse’.
The project is to equip media persons in Ghana to uphold professionalism and promote free, fair, and credible reportage before, during, and after the election.
In a remark, the Press Attaché of the U.S. Embassy, Ghana, Kevin Brosnahan, commended the GJA for its efforts in trying to ensure that media persons uphold professionalism and also accord them some freedom to go about their lines of work.
He emphasised the need for journalists to have all the freedom accorded them under the constitution to play their part in the promotion and protection of democracy in Ghana.
“Press freedom is critically important to ensuring that Ghana’s democracy is accountable to its people. Journalists have an important role to play in reporting on corruption, human rights, governance, and peace and security,” he said.
Mr. Brosnahan shared that as much as governments are being reminded of the importance of press freedom, it is also imperative for media practitioners to be trained extensively and prepared on how to operate and uphold the beauty of democracy.
He added that elections always challenge democratic institutions, but resilient democratic institutions rise to that challenge; therefore, well-trained and well-prepared reporters are never more important than when a country holds elections.
He further stressed the benefits the 10-month Election 2024 projects will bring to the media fraternity and how impactful they will be on the promotion of Ghana’s democracy and media professionalism.
Mr. Brosnahan also projected plans made by the U.S. Embassy in Ghana to continually support the GJA in its endeavours to uphold professionalism within the media fraternity, projecting planned training for photojournalists in the country and also fact-checking programs for media practitioners across the country.
These, he stressed, were plans the U.S. Embassy Ghana has in stock to support the GJA and the media fraternity in the country.
