One time Journalist of the Year, Mr. Bernardino Koku Avle has urged media practitioners to take journalism beyond reporting.
According to the General Manager of Citi FM/ TV, the job of a journalist is to “help people come to meaning for experiences, events, and phenomenon; not just parroting the position of experts.”
He said; “the media is supposed to create content to help listeners make meaning out of the issues by themselves. We need to be leading the conversation.”
The host of the Citi Breakfast Show (CITI CBS) and The Point of View on Citi FM/ TV respectively, made the comments while making a presentation at the 2021 GIJ Webinar on the topic: “Assessing the Performance of the Media during the 2020 Elections” on Friday April 9, 2021.
He reminded journalists that the platform they have is not only for reporting, but for scrutinizing and criticizing the issues. In his view, “these are the most important tools and dimensions for nation building, as clearly stated in the mandate of the media under the 1992 constitution.”
Mr. Avle therefore urged practitioners and media houses to build their capacity because, “a media house is only as strong as its journalists.”
According to him; “The strength of a media house doesn’t depend on how many adverts you do, how many billboards you put up, or how far your transmission goes. It is about how credible and knowledgeable your reporters are. The better your reporters, the more credible you become and the better impact you make.”
This year’s maiden edition of the GIJ Webinar Public Lecture was organized by the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID) of the Ghana Institute of Journalism on the theme: “Assessing the Performance of the Media During the 2020 Election.”
Story by: James Avedzi, GIJ.