A section of society is with diverse opinions on the statement made by the immediate past President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Affail Monney made on Trust FM’s Agoo Ghana show.
The comment which suggests that some journalists when given the opportunity, do not ask the required questions that will bring forth relevant answers that will push the public to hold public office holders to account and responsibility.
‘A good question has the answer in it’ but journalists who attend government’s “Meet The Press” series ask bogus questions; as Mr. Monney put it.
In a quest to get the view of the public on the allegations made by the senior journalist, trustfmonline.com took to the streets to sample a few voices on Friday to ask if the public shares the same opinion as Mr. Monney had put it.
Interestingly, the public had a more diverse opinion with some saying, some of the journalists ask questions which will bring developmental progress, while others sided with Mr. Monney, a few others also think that during these presser times, selected journalists who may have their own motivations, ask questions in the interest of their pay masters.
In an interview, Chairman of the GJA in the Eastern Region, Maxwell Kudakor agreed with few exceptions that most journalists do not know the ethics of the profession and therefore have no idea on what direction their work is moving so that they can ask the right questions to get the right answers.
He said, journalists who get these opportunities do not even ask questions that are related to their catchment areas; instead, they ask questions on political issues and issues that are related to Accra and other areas.
Mr. Kudakor noted that, most of the time journalists are selected from all regions and districts across the length and breadth of the country to participate in these pressers and must therefore see it as an opportunity to ask questions that are related to their catchment areas to foster development by bringing government’s attention to problems and issues in their catchment areas.
On his part in the same interview, Nii Amartey Kanarku together with the other journalists noted that media personnel need some form of training to induct themselves well into the profession and its ethics that guide it.
Nii Kanarku took the opportunity to call on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), Civil Society Organizations and the general public to support the media with funds and information so that they (Press) can also deliver objectively to bring development in their areas of specialty.
