Intensify security for court reporters – Monney
Mr Roland Affail Monney, President, Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has called for enhanced protection for journalists who cover the courts.
He said there were great concerns from stakeholders about the numerous attacks being carried out on journalists, who report from the various law courts in the country.
Mr Monney made the call during the launch of a 37-page Handbook for journalists and the inauguration of the Judicial Press Corps in Accra.
He said regrettably, such acts of injustice had become a dominant theme of certain high-profile cases.
He said that in some instances, the Police were accomplices in such attacks, and urged the judicial service to ensure that journalists were at all times protected.
The GJA President, therefore called for a stop to such attacks and punishment for the perpetrators.
He commended the Judicial Service for training court reporters and equipping them with a highly relevant handbook to actively practice their trade.
He expressed the hope that the dividend of all this would distinctively distill reportage from the court to justify the investment made in the Judicial Press Corps.
Mr Monney also urged the journalists to take the handbook as their professional “Bible” or “Quran” and internalize its content and reflect them in their stories.
Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Chairman, National Media Commission (NMC), also touched on professionalism, and asked the press corps to be factual, objective and fair to all parties in their reportage.
“You must state the course of each party in the matter if you file stories but when one party is attended too leaving out the other, you are prejudicing the matter. It is not healthy to leave out the other party,” he said.
The Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, also charged the journalists to exhibit professionalism as they equip themselves with the rudiments of court reporting for accurate reportage and effective public education.
He reiterated the essence of the Media in securing and sustaining the country’s democracy, saying the judiciary did not have power to interfere with media freedom.
“The country’s democracy requires the press and the Judiciary to work together, and we must focus on efforts to build trust between us, so we can build confidence in our institutions from the public,” the Chief Justice added.
Source: GNA