Accra, Jan. 10, GNA - Unilever Ghana Limited on Friday announced that it would sponsor a refresher training programme for 100 journalists to refocus their priorities to take account of broader needs of society. Beneficiaries of the programme will be trained in the areas of health, education, environment, the economy and politics. Mr. Charles Cofie, Chief Executive Officer of the company who announced the package at a press soiree in Accra to interact with journalists said the beneficiaries to be selected from media houses would be journalists who had demonstrated high standards of professionalism, and the potential to win both local and international awards.

Mr. Cofie raised issues with journalists who had no respect for integrity, saying, their action amounted to "do as I say but not as I do" syndrome. He said it was imperative that journalists pursued fairness and truth in their reportage to enable the people to make an informed choice.

He commended the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on its efforts at ensuring that media personnel complied with the ethics of their profession. He said Unilever Ghana cherished its association with GJA and gave the assurance that the company would continue to invest to ensure realisation of world class standards of journalism in the country. Mr. Ransford Tetteh, President of the GJA described the reportage of the December elections by a section of the media as irresponsible and cautioned against such tendencies in the future. Mr. Tetteh said the coverage called for peer review of reportage of personnel in the industry to ensure professionalism. 10 Jan. 08