Honourable Joe Aggrey, a veteran sports editor formerly with the Daily Graphic and Graphic Sports has advised online journalists not to rush in breaking news, but to investigate and research well before publishing their reports on the world wild web also known as the internet.
Speaking at a one day forum for a selected group of online editors organized by telecommunication giants MTN in Accra, he noted that the current generation have been blessed with gadgets like smart phones, lap tops, tablets and modems which facilitate their work.
He noted that the internet has made the work of journalists more easier, however they must be professional in delivering the news.
According to the former Deputy Sports Minister under ex-President Kufour’s administration, journalists must be fair in their reportage and be creative in making the news attractive because there are many sites and sources for news, which make readers have a choice.
Joe Aggrey who has retired from the Graphic Communications Group expressed that journalists never retire and he would take advantage of the New Media to set up a Blog and still educate, inform and entertain readers with his write – ups.
The man who is on record to have won the Ghana Journalists Association Best Journalist of the Year observed that the media landscape is now very wide as some can go into presenting or broadcasting, apart from writing or go into Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising, all which fall under Communications.
“Big Joe” as he is affectionately called, was President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) from 1985 to 2001. He was the first President of the Association to be democratically elected before being appointed as a Deputy Minister of State, and left a legacy of respect which all sports journalists and sportsmen and women in Ghana admire.
The MTN forum attracted Kwesi Gyan Appenteng, another veteran media practitioner who shared his experience and encouraged the media to be bold and fearless in coming out with the truth and balanced news.
He recounted the advantages on online reporting and urged the media to work harder since they now have the electronic devices for easy assessment for news coverage and delivery.
Gyan Appenteng also observed that the New and Social Media play vital and key roles in development and must be used positively for excellence.
He encouraged the young editors to go into blogging and use the internet wisely.
Other resource people were Gina Asare Fiagbenu, Efua Falcona, Afua Serwa Boateng, Eddie Kpodo and Eric Agyapong all of MTN.
The forum gave the participants the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the state of the art technology being used by the company, as they toured the Switch Center and expressed satisfaction with the event.
Meanwhile, the online media have started coming together by forming groups and pages on the Social Media such as Facebook, Linkedin and WhatsApp.