GJA to revise guidelines election coverage

Accra, May 23, GNA - Mr. Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), on Friday said the association would revise its guidelines on election coverage for this year's polls.

"Although the Ghanaian media have performed quite creditably in the coverage of elections since the guidelines were drawn, there have been some challenges along the way and it is only fair to address them through the revision of the guidelines," he said. The GJA president made these statements at the inauguration of three committees it has set up. The committees are the Group of Eminent Persons to review the elections coverage, the GJA Awards and the GJA Awards Planning Committee.

The seven-member group of eminent persons would revise the guidelines for elections drawn in 1996 and provide a draft by the end of June 2008. The other two committees would evaluate entries received from contestants, plan and organize the 2007 GJA Awards.

Mr. Tetteh stated that the review had become necessary in view of the rapid growth of the Ghanaian media since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution which had led to an increase in the number of newspapers, radio and television stations.

He said the exercise would be done taking cognizance of the coverage of previous elections and the current situation to make the media more versatile, fair and reliable in their coverage.

On the media awards, Mr. Tetteh debunked allegations that the media would be compelled to compromise their critic instinct because they receive support from friends and well wishers in the organization of the awards.

"The media houses and award winners do not directly go about soliciting for support," he said. Mr Tetteh said all these organizations as stakeholders had the legitimate right to contribute to raising journalistic standards by contributing to the awards.