Journalist urged to educate themselves on political economy

Accra, July 29, GNA - The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) at the weekend awarded 1,290 students with Degree and Diploma programmes in Journalism and Public Relations with a call on Journalists to educate themselves on the world political economy.

The ceremony, which was the 13th in the chronicles of the Communication University falls within its 60-year anniversary celebration and graduated 821 Degree students as against 469 Diploma students.

Mr Cameron Duodo, a Veteran Journalist who made the call said it was imperative for all African Journalists to undertake a thorough self-education into the political education as it opened up the mind to understand and appreciate issues.

He said it was imperative on the side of the educated African to understand the subject matter because “if you don’t understand how the world economy really works and how it is rigged against our continent, you know nothing”.

He said African journalists, served as spokespersons for millions of people, who were cheated of a fair or living wage by what is called the ‘world economy’ ought to educate themselves towards gaining the ability to explain imported inflation and fluctuations in commodity prices among other.

Mr Duodo said African journalists ought to also gain the understanding to explain how some companies escape tax in the ‘poor’ countries by operating shadow headquarters in tax havens.

He said it was when the citizenry fully understood the above things that they could regain the self-confidence to enable them regain fair share of the resources.

He urged the fresh graduates to be accurate in their professional practice, as they go out into the world of work as accuracy and interesting facts were the major keys that would help and impress unknown readers.

He urged the graduates to remain objective and balanced in the delivery of facts noting that apart from speed and accuracy, it was balance that enhanced his reports, which never received complaints from parliamentary coverage during his practice with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

On his part, Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, the Rector of GIJ in his address said the batch were likely to be the last of students to graduate from the independent degree-awarding tertiary education institution called GIJ as Government had announced plans of merger with the National Film and Television Institute and the Ghana Institute of Language to form the University of Media, Arts and Communications.

He said the 2019 batch of students was a group full of prospects for the industry adding that: “they are poised to make an important contribution to the communication industry specifically, and to the nation as a whole”.

Prof Kwansah-Aidoo announced that as part of the University’s ambition to radically expand its programme offerings across the faculties and departments, it would soon add some programmes to the existing degree programmes, which come with two elective professional courses of Journalism and Public Relations.

He said work was on-going to add seven more programmes for the undergraduate, which include; Events Management and Sponsorship, Journalism elective specialisation tracks in Political Reporting, Economic Reporting, and Sports Reporting.

Others include; Environmental Communication; Media and Culture, Integrated Marketing, Strategic Communication, and Rhetorical and Public Discourse.

Prof Kwansah-Aidoo said violence against journalists in the country had become a worrying trend in the practice of journalism adding that it must not be allowed to derail and degenerate the media, one of the pillars of Ghana’s democracy.

He urged graduates to use the education and training gained from the University to positively affect the world and strive for excellence and professionalism, making diligence, discipline and determination a hallmark in the field of work.

GNA

Read Full Story