Editorial

We have observed with dismay the downward spiraling of the image of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), the recent rancor-ridden award exercise providing a worrying impetus for the trend.

An association of the stature of the GJA should not prompt questions about its integrity the way the past few years have witnessed in its affairs.

Arbitrariness which has been alleged by the Central and Western zones of the GJA over which they have issued a statement which spells out the integrity challenges of the association in recent times, need to be arrested without delay lest the association loses the remnants of respect still hanging on its bones.

How we wish we were writing about the non-negative things about an association which should seek our interests and champion the cause of free expression.

“Recent developments, actions and the leadership style of the President, Mr. Roland Affail Monney, have made the association unattractive in recent times,” a portion of the plaintive correspondence highlighted.

We find the concern disturbing in as much as it represents a sizeable concern of the membership of the association. Why should an association which has over the past many years earned for itself an enviable deference lost it so fast to what is largely regarded as a leadership failure?

The recent awards night – the most important in the calendar of activities of the GJA – was fraught with avoidable challenges which are traceable to the leadership deficiency as pointed out earlier.

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that widespread disapproval of the management of the awards has been expressed which prompts the question as to why it should be recurring over the years.

The leadership could have avoided the empanelling of a committee to manage the task instead of resorting to arbitrariness; it could have simply pinpointed awardees.

The swapping of awards at the eleventh hour does not present the GJA as a body worthy of deference.

The sentinel role of the fourth estate of the realm should not be seen to be exhibiting moral shortcomings. What moral rights do we have as members of this important segment of democracy to point shortcomings of other players in governance?

Over the years we have editorialized, verbally ran down politicians, businessmen and others who have not showed signs of moral uprightness. Now we too have showed how we are not exempted from the societal malaise all pervasive in the country today. Our readers and listeners might have to review the deference they have always showed to us because we too, like the bad politicians, cannot be trusted to be bereft of integrity blemishes.

So disappointing, this association!