Editorial
Thumbs up to professionals holding the fort
Dear Editor,
Journalists put in lots of effort to deliver good content and stories to the public and I must say our local practitioners, over the years, continue to perform this function satisfactorily.
As the practitioners serve the public interest, a number of factors continue to undermine the crucial role they play. Notable among them is media ownership structure which, to a great extent, limits the ‘neutral role’ practitioners are expected to play when performing their duties.
A follow up to the above, is the practice where some media houses prioritise speed over facts and, in effect, churn out stories which sometimes do more harm than good.
Apart from remuneration, some practitioners are sometimes threatened or assaulted in their line of work. These and many others have, indeed, become a disincentive to the noble profession.
In spite of the setbacks, some practitioners continue to serve diligently with the hope that things would change for better. But while they keep hope alive, I wish to urge the relevant bodies to work harder to enhance the image of the profession.
While I call for sanctions on journalists who disregard codes of conduct, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) should ensure people who assault journalists are brought to book. The association should prioritise the interest of journalists by demanding fair wages, job security and better working conditions for practitioners.
Private and public institutions should continue to deepen collaboration with established media outlets, lead initiatives that promote transparency and accountability, and help break the barrier of practitioners presenting one-sided stories.
I say thumbs up to those who continue to hold the fort, and again urge journalists and media houses to build a united front and support, speak up and defend their mandate whenever it is trampled upon.
Deborah Mawunya Aflakpui,
Student, Ghana Institute of Journalism
NCCE sensitisation in order
Dear Editor,
Last weekend your widely-read newspaper carried a story on page three in which the National Media Commission (NCCE) was cautioning young people not to fall for enticement from extremists.
I believe the call is in order and wish to commend the Commission for its effort in creating the awareness of the danger. Apart from that publication, I have also noticed other radio jingles the NCCE had sponsored on this same subject.
Violent extremism, indeed, is the new enemy and we must all be on our guard. Some security analysts have said that in the face of increasing unemployment, some young people who have “nothing to lose” may easily adopt the extremist approach when push comes to shove.
This is why I find the public education by the NCCE timely and urge them to do more as the government focuses on creating more opportunities for the youth.
Frank Kumi,
Kasoa.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
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Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
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