By Joyce Danso, GNA
Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - A former Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Frederick Fritz Baffour, says information officers should have a sense of integrity to function effectively.
"If you do not have a sense of integrity, you cannot do your work to the maximum."
Speaking at a symposium in Accra on Friday, he appealed to government to provide adequate resources to information officers so they would not compromise on professionalism.
The symposium was held by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Information Chapel, (Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy), in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
It was on the theme: "Image Making: Role of Information Managers in Bridging the Gap between Government and the People.”
Mr Baffour observed that often times when offices created for information officers were starved with resources.
He said if they were adequately resourced, they could conduct research to have more than average knowledge of their targeted audience.
"Managers of government and official information machinery must work in and through the aims and objectives, which are to inform, educate and seek feedback from the populace.”
“We must take into account the quantum of our ability and skills to communicate and then look at the message we wish to send and how we couch the content for an effective operation," he said.
"Your role as managers of information machinery to bridge the gap between government and the public is inherent in your understanding of the aims and objectives of your various institutions vis a vis the various mission statements and vision that underpin the core operations of your employer."
Mr Baffour lauded Nigeria for creating a unit responsible for feedback as that would go a long way to help assess the reaction of the public.
He, however, expressed disgust over the upsurge of hate speech, which should not be condoned, and called for interventions to fight it.
He said it was time for the two countries to hold open discussions on Undercover Journalism as to whether or not it had solved the challenges in society.
Mr Baffour said the objectives of government information machinery had not changed much, over the years, but that the media landscape had been liberalized with Ghana having over 400 radio and television stations, and newspapers under private ownership all propagating different trends of opinions.
He commended Nigeria for having a vibrant and influential private press, which had been the envy of the Continent.
Comrade Sole Dosumu, the Chairman of the NUJ, called on the governments of Ghana and Nigeria to institute insurance packages for information officers to motivate them.
"Providing insurance packages for journalists goes a long way to motivate us. Even if the worse happens, your family can benefit from that," he said.
Comrade Dosumu noted that providing motivation went beyond gifts and asked that journalists be rewarded through letters of commendation.
He said journalists should be given periodic training so they could give of their best.
Mr Bright Blewu, Member of the National Media Commission, who represented the President of the GJA, appealed to the officers to join their Ghanaian counterparts in celebrating the GJA at 70.
He recounted the long standing relationship that existed between Ghana and Nigeria over the years and asked the officers to feel at home and interact freely with their Ghanaian counterparts.
GNA
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