News:
Clerk of Ghana’s Parliament
May 16, 2022
The Clerk of Ghana’s Parliament Mr. Cyril Kwabena Nsiah has underscored the role of the Parliamentary Press Corps as crucial to the sustainability and growth of parliamentary democracy, particularly in Ghana’s current dispensation where the country has a unique composition of Parliament.
According to him now more than ever, the tenets of the country’s democratic credentials are being tested and how it navigate this period and its associate complexities would determine how far the country travels on the path of democracy and development.
He made this known when he delivered an address at a two days capacity building workshop on the theme “A Knowledgeable Reporter as a Promoter of Multi-Party Parliamentary Democracy” for members of the Parliamentary Corps (PPC) over the weekend.
And further added that as the fourth estate of the realm the media is required to provide Ghanaians with objective, timely and relevant information to assist them make informed and responsible choices, in the democratic process.
“The media can only play this role effectively if it is armed with the requisite skills sets, techniques and knowledge required for the performance of its duties”.
According to him, Parliament recognizes the importance of bringing its proceedings to the doorsteps of the citizenry, and in this regard Parliamentary Service recently completed and handed over a well-equipped office to the PPC as a way of supporting it; a testament of the services commitment to ensure that the media is well-positioned and capacitated to provide balanced and accurate reportage on matters relating to Parliament.
“In line with this we hope that you will live up to your responsibilities in line with professional and ethical journalistic standards. This requires you to perform your duties without any partisan consideration and ensure that information flowing from your reportage is accurate and factual”
As Ghanaians have a lot of trust and confidence in journalists, such that they virtually believe or take the information you circulate as factual and truthful.
And it underscores why you should always crosscheck your information before reporting, because it is always difficult to reverse inaccurate or false reportage once its fed to the public, he added.
Mr. Nsiah admonished the media not to only focus on proceedings on the floor of the House, but pay attention to other parliamentary events in order to present a holistic picture of the House.
He reminded all and sundry that both the Press and Parliament which serve the public interest are vital for the successful as well as smooth functioning of the country’s democracy.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com