Accra, April 13, GNA - Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the Ghana Journalists' Association (GJA) at the weekend expressed concern about what he termed "mushrooming of journalism training institutions" and urged practitioners to dutifully protect the profession's image. He announced at a dinner dance to climax the 15th anniversary of the Parliamentary Press Corps in Accra that the Association was dialoguing with publishers of private newspapers and media owners on measures to inject more sanity and to flush out quacks from profession.

Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, said lack or inadequate training, and poor remuneration by some media Houses had negatively affected the practice of the journalism. He said there had been instances where some media houses did not pay any remuneration to their reporters, most of them untrained, adding that this led to some of these reporters, not only making monetary demands, but also harassing organisers of events they covered. Mr Tetteh urged media practitioners to pursue constant capacity-building to high standards.

Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Bagbin, observed that Ghana's democratic culture was weak. He said there was still much "darkness" in Government, stating that much as close sitting was for national security reasons, they were in other cases an aberration of Parliamentary culture. Mr Bagbin asked the media not to relent, but to ensure that the state natural, human and material resources were properly utilized and accounted for by those to whom they were entrusted.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Minister for Ports, Habours and Railways, who was the Guest of Honour, urged the Parliamentary Press Corp to intensify education of Ghanaians to enable them understand the work of the MP. He said the Press was expected to inform, educate and analyse laws passed, loans approved and other programmes and projects discussed in Parliament. Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi shared similar view with Mr Andrew Edwin Arthur, Dean of the Corps, that both journalists and politicians should be circumspect in their use of language and avoid inflammatory statements in the run up to the 2008 general election. Mr Arthur had stated that in the next few weeks, the executive of the Corps was going to be tough and adopt measures to nip in the bud traces of wrong reportage.

"The Press Corps will not tolerate mediocrity and biased reportage that have the tendency of casting a slur on our image," Mr Arthur said. Mr John Dramani Mahama, Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress, who chaired the ceremony, observed that Parliamentary Reporting was a specialised area. He said there was a rather high turnover of reporters on the parliamentary beat, adding that it rather made the media house lose experienced hands. Mr Emmanuel Anyimadu, Clerk to Parliament, said the Press corps and Parliament were partners and the two must sit to dialogue for mutual benefits. Certificates of appreciation were given to organizations that supported the celebration of the anniversary. They included Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Prudential Bank, Phyto Riker, Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ghana Commercial Bank, and the Office of the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common Fund.