Bolgatanga, Oct 29, GNA - Mr John Tia Akologo, the Minister of Information, has appealed to journalists to practice responsible journalism and write to influence government policy instead of sensationalism that seems to be the trend. He said press freedom should be used to explore and practice development journalism because this would not only play an important role in the development of the country but also gain the confidence of the people.

The Minister said this when he interacted with journalists on the last day of his visit to the Upper East Region to see the conditions under which journalists work and also meet heads of departments, chiefs and people of the Region.

He said in all his meetings with heads of departments, the major complaint was about the media concentrating mainly on politics to the neglect of issues on development.

Mr Akologu said it was not bad to write on politics so long as it was done responsibly devoid of insults and insinuations that clearly showed the political affiliation of the writers and proprietors of the media houses.

"We should be mindful that we are working for the people and go by the ethics of the profession which clearly does not state that we write to cause confusion and conflict," he said. Mr Akologu appealed to journalists not to rush to publish or broadcast information but to research and make sure that both sides of the story are presented. Mr Mark Woyongo, the Upper East Regional Minister, appealed to journalists to be resolute and not to allow material things to influence their work.