Owners of media outlets, especially radio, television and newspaper establishments, have again been reminded of the critical need to properly remunerate their newsmen well as a way of motivating them to give of their best.
Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem, Krontihene of Sunyani who gave the remainder, observed that when journalists are better remunerated, it will go a long way to reduce the temptation of accepting bribe with the view to dropping a story while instilling and deepening high journalistic standards in the country.
According to him the rather low remuneration of journalists in Ghana is a major threat to the media landscape and called on media owners to as a matter of urgency pay their staff, especially journalists well.
Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem was speaking at the official launch of the 2018 Brong Ahafo GJA awards held at the plush Eusbett Hotel in Sunyani.
A five-member Awards Committee chaired by a veteran journalist and a former Regional Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Leonard Victor Amengor, was inaugurated as part of the launch, which was witnessed by a cross-section of media practitioners from across the Brong Ahafo region and beyond.
Two of the awards – the Over-all Regional Best Journalist and the Most Promising Journalist – are strictly for GJA members of good standing as at December 2018 while the remaining 18 are opened to all other media practitioners in the region.
Among the areas that would be considered for awards are Health, Education, Child Protection, Sanitation & Environment, Business & Economics, Agriculture, Tourism and Culture, Mining, Crime Prevention, Local Governance, Sports and Entertainment as well as Morning Show Presentation – both English and twi.
Prospective award winners are to submit their entries by the end of March, 2019 to pave the way for the maiden Brong Ahafo GJA Awards which is slated for April next year.
The Krontihene of Sunyani, Oboaman Bofotia Boamponsem who presided over the programme scored the Ghanaian media high marks in its quest to bring to the fore pertinent issues of national concern and encouraged them to discharge their duties in fairness devoid of partisan considerations.
The Regional GJA Chairman, Larry Paa Kwesi Moses, said the association was determined to ensure that media practitioners in the region discharged their constitutional obligations in accordance with the ethics of the profession.
“With the support of my executives, my administration will work tirelessly to promote high ethical standards”, he added.
He paid glowing tribute to past regional executives of the association for their hard work and tireless efforts which had endeared them to the hearts of practitioners in the region and the nation as a whole, and also brought the GJA to this far.
He mentioned Mr. Charles Koomson, a former Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency who also served as the GJA Regional Chairman and Dr. L.V Amengor, a former Regional Director of GBC who also served as the Regional Chairman of the association, among several others.
Dr. Amengor, Chairman of the Awards committee in his brief remarks pledged the resolve of the committee to discharge its duties devoid of any bias or favoritism.
“We will do our best to recognize those who deserve to be recognized devoid of any bias”, he stressed.
Other members of the Award Committee are the Head of Department of the Communications Department of the Sunyani Technical University, Madam Gloria Fofie; the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the Ghana Bar Association, Lawyer Alfred Tua Yeboah; a veteran journalist, Kwabena Assuming Gyamfi and Mr. Emmanuel Amponsah, the Senior Assistant Registrar in-charge of Public Relations, Sunyani Technical University (STU).