News
Make safety, health priority – Journalists told
Mr Motey addressing the media
A former Vice Chairman of the Tema Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ian Motey, has urged journalists not to be over-zealous in their quest to gather facts for stories.
He said in their bid to get stories, it was important for the journalists to make conscious efforts to make their safety and security a priority.
Mr Motey, an Assistant Editor with The Ghanaian Times, the sister newspaper of the The Spectator, gave the advice at a media training programme on Wednesday.
He lectured on the topic ‘Ensuring safety of media personnel on the field.’
According to the experienced Journalist, using observational skills was one of the ways by which media personnel can protect themselves and lessen exposure to the public in the course of duty.
Observational skills are qualities and proficiencies that relate to a person’s ability to use one or more of their senses to acknowledge, analyse, understand and recall their surroundings and the elements within it.
According to him, the use of such skills would not draw unnecessary attention and if effectively used, those around would not notice the presence of a journalist covering an event.
“In coverage for riots and demonstrations, journalists must be more observant in order not to get exposed. If possible, don’t expose yourself at all. Sometimes you don’t even have to let people know that you are a journalist. You even have to hide your tags on some occasions,” he advised.
He said occasionally, the journalist can leave a crowded area to a secluded place to write a few points and quickly come back so that he/she would not draw unnecessary attention to him or herself.
Mr Motey said a media person on the field must also avoid making comments for or against any group or individual during an event because one could not tell who was listening.
“It’s better to be discreet and also adopt the use of technology so that what the journalist is doing would not be so obvious.
He said that since the courts were also sensitive places to report from, media personnel must ensure that they got the right training to avoid inaccurate reportage to draw disaffection from any of the parties or even the judiciary.
A journalist, he said should not feel embarrassed to contact technical people for advice where some terms were not easily understood.
“It is important to build hard-core evidence so that in case of any suits against journalists, you will be well-placed to put up a defence,” he said and added that, “journalists must take their health and well-being seriously because the demands of the job comes with a lot of stress.”
Media persons, he said sometimes starved themselves, avoided sleep and worked so hard just to ensure they gave the public the best and in the process made a lot of compromises which become detrimental to their health.
Mr Motey called on the media to be fair and firm in their reportage, and be sensitive to issues of national security because according to him, some stories could compromise the peace and security of the country.
“Just because you have access to some information does not necessarily mean you should publish it. You have to be very discerning,” he noted.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
