The Executive Director for the Press Foundation (TPF), a non-governmental media organization, Mr Listowell Yesu Bukarson has urged the Ghana Police Service to attach seriousness to issues that affect the media as they have done to politicians and government officials.
According to him, the Police have been swift to defend or conduct investigations into either deaths or robberies that have happened to politicians but are lukewarm any time same affected media men in their line of duty.
Addressing the first ever radio personality awards by Prolight Innovations Limited, an events and media outfit in Brong-Ahafo, the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) bemoaned the apathetic nature of responses from the Police when media men are in trouble.
He recalled with pain the gruesome murder of a Peace Fm correspondent for Brong- Ahafo, King George Sambo and noted that for a year the Police had failed to arrest the suspects or bring to light what led to his untimely death.
ELECTIONS:
Mr Bukarson, however, reminded the media their role in ensuring peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
He asked that as gate keepers of the country’s democracy, the media strives to keep politicians off the tangent of hate speech, intemperate language and tribalism.
He argued the industry stand to lose if anything is done to erode the gains the Country had made in ensuring a peaceful atmosphere.
The TPF Director, who is also a former Public Relations Manager for Kumasi Asante Kotoko, further asked media owners to monitor programmes on their networks so as to sanitize the airwaves ahead of the crucial 2016 general elections.
MCE:
On his part, Alhaji Mohammed Doku, Municipal Chief Executive for Goaso pledged government’s determination to ensure a peaceful atmosphere ahead of the 2016 elections.
According to him, every useful measure is being deployed to maintain the peace and sobriety in the country even as the days inch close to December 7th.
He urged the media to play their impartial role as gate-keepers of speech and information so as to lessen the tension that occasionally builds up in election seasons.
Alhaji Doku commended Prolight Innovations, organizers of the Awards ceremony and asked both winners and the unlucky media personalities to allow the idea behind the program spur them on to higher heights.
CEO:
In a chat with the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper, Mr Gabriel Amoah, Chief Executive Officer for Prolight Innovations said ‘the awards ceremony is to recognize hard-work of media personalities in the Brong Ahafo Region’.
He expressed the delight of his organization to project the works of the media so as to spur them on into giving their best at all times.
He pledged his commitment to repeating same every year and appealed to corporate organizations to support the project so as to honor the media in their difficult fields of engagement.
Mr Frank Naro of Nananom Fm won the coveted accolade as the best media personality in the Brong Ahafo Region and for his prize the Omanhene of Goaso, Nana Akwasi Bosompra I promised him land.
