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Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday urged journalists not to use press freedom to destroy society.
"You should never interpret the favorable media environment as a flawless freedom to" disrupt the application of governance, "so to speak," said former President Kufuor when he officially launched the celebration of 70th anniversary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra.
"You should exercise your power responsibly and recognize the fact that this power has been achieved through the growing confidence that the representatives of citizens, both in Parliament and in the executive branch, are gaining in you."
The theme of the anniversary is "Democracy, Freedom and Independence of the Media in Ghana: 70 Years of Contribution from the GJA". Since the creation of the GJA on August 15, 1949, she has played a very important role in political discourse. and the socio-economic development of the country.
Former President Kufuor urged the GJA to ensure that no one in the profession takes for granted that nothing is put in jeopardy to undermine and undermine the proper balance established by law.
"You must always remember that the abuse of the immense power of the press has led to the Rwandan genocide that has claimed the lives of nearly a million people in this country of Africa. from East in 1994 ".
He said this heartbreaking story on the African continent reinforces the responsibilities of the journalism profession. "The GJA must monitor its members to ensure that the rights of individuals and the government are not violated unduly," he said. He called the GJA to recruit its members who flout his ethics and rules, for the necessary discipline.
He said: "Freedom of the media does not mean that members of your profession or media outlets can operate in the media landscape without restrictions or rules of engagement. That is why practitioners should be familiar with the usual laws of sedition and defamation. "Said the creation of an badociation such as the GJA aimed to reduce the excesses of its members.
"One must never forget that it is the same rule of law that defines the state and its governing bodies and the conduct of its citizens that sets the relationships between all entities, including your badociation and its practitioners, under the state, he said.
"None, including the media, is above the rule of law," added the former president.
He said that the Ghanaian people, in their Constitution, had chosen to be governed by a multi-party democracy, the freedom of citizens being guaranteed by the mechanism of control and balance between its governing bodies.
Mr. Kufuor noted that the principles of transparency, accountability and probity were at the heart of this mechanism. He stated that the media was a critical watchdog for the proper functioning and effectiveness of the mechanism and therefore needed to be a forward-thinking member of the Constitution in all its terms and objectives.
"The media can not therefore be exempted from the principles of the Constitution." He stated that it is with a full understanding of these principles that the government he led repealed the anti-democratic law on criminal defamation in 2001.
The former president said the repeal had not only liberated the media landscape, but had also imparted a real sense to Ghana's democratic governance.
Mr. Pius Enam Hadzide, Deputy Minister of Information, urged the GJA to defend professionalism and accountability among its members as it celebrated its 70th birthday.
Mr. Roland Affail Monney, President of the GJA, said that as part of the 70th anniversary celebration, the GJA would hold a special forum on how to reposition two key public media institutions – the News Agency of the GJA. Ghana and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation – in order to function optimally. turbulent media landscape.
He paid tribute to former President Kufuor for the outstanding role he played during his tenure in promoting press freedom in the country.
Dr. Daniel McKorley, chairman and CEO of the McDan group of companies, who chaired the launch, urged Ghanaians to appreciate the fact that journalists hold the key to democracy in the country.
Source: GNA
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