The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA says it will sponsor the best journalist in Environmental reporting award for the next three years.
The EPA will also institute what it describes as “Open Day for Journalists” to enable them formalise themselves with the activities of the Agency.
These were made known by the Acting Executive Director of the EPA John Pwamang at a training workshop for Editors at Amasaman in Accra.The EPA signed an MOU with GJA to intensify collaboration on Environmental reporting.
The two-day workshop which focused on “Demystifying Environmental Issues: the role of Media Editors” brought together participants from all the 16 regions of the country. EPA’s decision to engage editors follows stakeholder meetings with producers and reporters of media houses on the need to take environmental stories serious.
Stakeholders at the workshop agreed to intensify collaboration between EPA and GJA to elevate environmental stories to the expected level. It is for this reason that two organisations signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Mr Pwamang signed on behalf of EPA while Affail Monney initialed for GJA. Mr Pwamang gave details of the MOU.
” for the next 3 years we will sponsor the award for best environmental journalist. We will work out the details with the GJA. ….We will have a open week periodically to enable journalists come to our office and see the work we do and work with us”
Mr. Monney urged journalists to develop interest in specialisation.
“We also want to appeal to media houses to encourage their members (reporters) to specialize in environmental reporting, I believe specialization is key to the upscale of professional standards which we desire”
He called on other corporate bodies to emulate the gesture by the EPA.
Story by Nathaniel Nartey.
