A former Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere, has advised professionals in the media fraternity to come together and form what he calls, ‘Network of Civic Education Reporters’ to assist the NCCE in educating Ghanaians on civic related matters. He said the role of the media is to inform and educate. Educating citizens on their rights and responsibilities therefore is one key area that the Ghanaian media must specialize. Addressing journalists at NCCE’s Media Advocacy Workshop in Accra, Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere, said if citizens are educated on their rights and responsibilities, it will curb the spate of indiscipline, acts of corruption and other social vices bedeviling our country.
The NCCE/EU Media Advocacy Workshop was organised under the theme “Strengthening Civic Consciousness through Media Advocacy”. More than 40 journalists from Accra, Eastern, Central, and Volta regions, representing the southern zone attended the event. The workshop was to make media practitioners incorporate civic education in the media’s information dissemination role and strengthen civic consciousness among the people of Ghana.
The leadership and management of the NCCE were present at the programme. Chairman of the NCCE, Ms Josephine Nkrumah, said despite the appreciable number of media outlets in Ghana, NCCE continue to suffer low media publicity and visibility 2/7 for its programmes. She wants the synergy between the NCCE and the media to be
reexamined and revived in order to profitably educate citizens on diverse civic issues aimed at strengthening Ghana’s democracy. We need the media to make significant impact, she reiterated.
The Director of News Programming at Citi FM, Mr. Bernard Koku Avle, challenged journalists to consider different angles to stories and events. He entreated participants to be mindful of their civic duty as media professionals. ‘You are a citizen first before a journalist’ he added. Mr. Avle was of the view, that civic consciousness among citizens is more effective when citizens take an interest in national progress, political decisions, national policies, etc. Journalists must begin to interrogate policymakers and act in the interest of the ordinary citizen. He called on journalists to use their media platforms to engender civic consciousness among Ghanaians. He commended the NCCE its media advocacy workshop, saying it is a step in the right direction to get the media involved in the Commission’s activities and programmes.
The Communications and Corporate Affairs Director of the NCCE, Mrs Joyce Afutu, in a brief presentation, took journalists through the functions, strategies, and flagship programmes of the NCCE and the concept of civic education.
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