Media crucial for public education

Dodowa, July 16, GNA - Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker, has stressed the need for a free media to inform and report on the decisions and activities of their elected representatives to ensure that the people had enough information to hold them accountable. He said legislators depended on the media to disseminate and educate the people on laws passed by Parliament to improve the lot of society.

"It is important that the laws that we make leave the four walls of parliament to be conveyed to all of the country for the benefit of all. That important tasks is the responsibility of the media," Mr Blay said at a two-day workshop at Dodowa on the role of the media in providing effective coverage of the legislature for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps.

The Office of Parliament and the Centre For Democratic Development organised the workshop with sponsorship by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). MPs and journalists are "competitors for representing the voices of the people. We need, however, to complement each other," the First Deputy Speaker said.

He noted that parliamentary processes could be slow and contentious and said there was the temptation for the media to paint a picture of a Parliament that was contentious, argumentative, petty and partisan. Mr Blay said the media could raise controversies but should be fair and not mischievous.

He said the key to a good working relationship between the Parliamentarians and the media, "is an acceptance and understanding of each others role in making the democratic process work on behalf of the people."

Mr Ken Tachie, Clerk of Parliament, said it was important for the media in Parliament to learn the procedures and rules of the House to ensure effective coverage of proceedings. Mr Edwin Arthur, Dean of the Press Corps, called on Parliament to support them with logistics to facilitate effective coverage. 16 July 06