FREEDOM WITH RESPONSIBILITY (MAY 4, 2009)

Media practitioners, friends of the media and lovers of free expression across the world yesterday marked World Press Freedom Day with a number of ceremonies to highlight the challenges confronting practitioners and the need to expand the frontiers of freedom of expression.
In Ghana, media practitioners, under the aegis of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), are organising a number of events to help sensitise the public to the role of practitioners in the growth and sustenance of our democratic process, as well as to the difficulties and challenges confronting them.
The role the media plays in the political, economic and socio-cultural development of nations the world over cannot be overemphasised.
Within the broad ambit of informing, educating and entertaining the public, media practitioners, as part of their social contract with the people, are enjoined to hold the feet of government to the fire of accountability.
In fulfilling this important function, the media will not just be living up to its constitutional obligations, but will also be protecting and promoting societal or national interests.
This, without doubt, forms the basis for the creation and sustenance of a fairer, more just and accountable government, and in this way, for the building of a more democratic and harmonious society.
It is, therefore, largely in recognition of these attributes that the media is often referred to as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, holding in check the powers, functions and activities of the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary, the three traditional arms of government.
The media and its practitioners have contributed significantly to our bid to entrench democracy as the system of governance in the country in the past one-and-a-half decades.
Journalists have been at the vanguard of the exposure of all sorts of ills in our society, ranging from corruption and abuse of office by politicians and administrative officers through the tyranny and plunder of the nation’s resources by an array of unaccountable leaders to outmoded customary practices that inflict incalculable harm on the citizenry and infringe their fundamental human rights and freedoms.
These and other commendable acts notwithstanding, a number of shortcomings, including unprofessional conduct such as deliberately biased and mischievous reportage, acceptance of bribes and gifts (soli) to project some and debase others, the concoction, peddling and defence of falsehood and self-serving interests have combined to tarnish or undermine an otherwise impressive image of the journalism profession.
We are happy that media practitioners themselves, through their professional association and individual media houses, have already accepted the challenge, and are organising seminars, workshops and lectures to help improve on the orientation and skills of practitioners, and in this way enhance journalistic standards.
It is also heart-warming that, through Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information, the government has given the assurance that there would be no government interference in the professional work of the media, and that the passage of the Freedom of Information Act would be given an added urgency.
This should not only accord journalists ready and easier access, but also more space and unhindered latitude to carry through their professional duties.
We salute journalists on this occasion.