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The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) will not tolerate any act of unprofessionalism ahead of the 2024 general election, the President of the association, Albert Dwumfour, has said.
Speaking at the anniversary launch of the association in Accra, on the theme, “75 years of excellence in journalism: Honouring the past, embracing the present, shaping the future”, Mr Dwumfour said: “We shall try our best to maintain better levels of professionalism to protect our democracy,” he said.
Highlighting the challenges faced by journalists in their line of work, he stated that the association would use the occasion of the 75th anniversary to address critical matters concerning journalists in the country.
Aside from prosecution from inimical laws that criminalised freedom of speech, expression and assault, he said in recent times, journalists and media outlets had been targeted by political hoodlums while on assignment.
The GJA, he said, had no choice than to take aggressive actions to combat the breach of media rights, adding that the association had had to blacklist two important political figures whose followers attacked journalists in their line of work.
He added that the worrying trend of unprofessional practices by a section of the media was also due to factors such as lack of appreciation for professional ethics and media ownership.
To address the issues, he said, “We will use this anniversary celebration to address some of these critical matters”.
To shape the future, the GJA President announced that the association would support training institutions to help prepare aspiring journalists for the future, adding: “We need to guide your ethical upbringing in the profession”.
As part of the celebration, he said the association had scheduled a symposium on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the youth to help them navigate emerging technologies like AI that had taken centre stage in global affairs and journalism practice.
Mr Dwumfour urged corporate partners and friends to support the association on this journey. “The story of GJA can never be told without your unflinching support. You have helped to bring us this far. This is not the time to abandon us.
“We appeal to you to rally behind us with your financial support so that together, we can make this anniversary celebration a success,” he said.
