President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for a concerted effort on the part of all stakeholders; government, the media, and the general public alike, to eliminate the phenomenon of fake news from the media landscape of the country, as it poses an existential threat to the very fabric of the Ghanaian society.
The President gave the charge when he delivered the keynote address on the 24th of October 2020, at the Anniversary Ball and Awards Night of the 70th Anniversary of the state-owned newspaper The Graphic, under the theme: “Seven Decades of Influencing National Development and Building Brands,” at the Labadi Beach Hotel.
Concerted Effort against Fake News
President Akufo-Addo noted that technological advancement in the world has brought several improvements to the speed at which news reaches the world. He however noted that this had also brought with it, some clear and present dangers that ought to be addressed such as the advent of “fake news.”
“It is great that we no longer have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out what happened yesterday, thanks to technology. But again, thanks to technology, we now have the phenomenon of people manufacturing false or fake stories that easily pass off as news,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
“It is not only alarming, but it also poses a serious threat and danger to the very fabric of our society. We must all make a concerted effort to eliminate this phenomenon from our media space. Difficult though, that might be, the health of the nation requires that we must succeed,” President Akufo-Addo added.
Murder of Ahmed Suale
Taking advantage of the fact that he was addressing a section of the Ghanaian media, the President reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Journalists go about their work without any hindrance. He indicated that despite the rigorous efforts of the Police, those responsible for the killing of Investigative Journalist, Ahmed Suale, have still not been apprehended yet.
“I am deeply regretful that despite the best efforts of the Police, the perpetrators of the murder of Ahmed Suale are still at large. But I assure you this dossier will not be closed until they are brought to justice,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Graphic Support for COVID-19 Fight
On the subject of the ongoing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic in the nation, President Akufo-Addo noted that The Daily Graphic has been instrumental in his administration’s fight against the novel coronavirus. He commended The Daily Graphic for all of its efforts and advocacy role in helping to bring the people of Ghana all his regular Sunday night updates on measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 within the shores of the country.
“Your efforts have been a welcoming compliment to those of government as you and the electronic media have provided me the channel through which my Sunday broadcasts on steps being taken to defeat the pandemic have reached Ghanaians,” President Nana Akufo-Addo noted.
NMC Chairman
Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, current Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) and himself, a former Editor of The Daily Graphic and Director of Newspapers, in his brief remarks at the ceremony called out state institutions who have refused to pay what is due The Daily Graphic for newspapers supplied to them over long periods. He called on President Akufo-Addo to help deal with the situation. The President in response to the appeal of the NMC chairman noted that he had taken due notice of the plea and he would address the hurdle in the way of the state-owned newspaper.
“We the people of this country, including public institutions, the only thing that we can do to give credence to the 70 years of the existence of the Graphic Communications Group is to ensure that we patronize the products of the company. There are many public institutions and public bodies that have been using the Daily Graphic, particularly as a source of referencing material, and to promote themselves and they are hugely indebted to the company. So what the company needs is not a dole out from the state, but the state, particularly through institutions, maybe redeeming their integrity by paying for whatever that they have consumed. If what state institutions owe the company is paid, the company will be more than sound and can go back to the days when it was paying dividends to the state,” Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh said.
Awards
At the ceremony, all eleven (11) former members of staff who during their working days with The Daily Graphic, received the prestigious Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Journalist of the Year awards, were given awards for their outstanding service which has made The Daily Graphic, the only media house with such a feat. Former Editors, Managing Directors, among others were also given awards for their contribution to brand graphics.
Graphic Communications Group
The Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCG) was established in the Gold Coast as a private business in 1950 by the Daily Mirror Group of Britain. At that time, the company was named the West African Graphic Company Limited.
Cecil Harmsworth King Jr, who was in charge of the Daily Mirror Group’s West African operations, was the founding Chief Executive of the company. The company appointed Martin Therson-Cofie, a Ghanaian, as the first Editor of the Daily Graphic and later The Sunday Mirror, which is now ‘The Mirror.’
Graphic launched its first newspaper, The Daily Graphic, on 2nd October 1950, which immediately came to represent the professional way journalism should be practiced, as the local press was described as being less professional in their practice.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah /Election Bridge
