Ace broadcaster, Bernardino Koku Avle has urged media practitioners to explore journalism beyond mere reporting.
According to the General Manager of Citi FM/Citi TV, the job of a journalist is to not just about “parroting the position of experts” or politicians.
He said; “the media is supposed to create content to help listeners make meaning out of the issues by themselves. We need to be leading the conversation.”
The host of the Citi Breakfast Show and The Point of View on Citi FM and Citi TV respectively, made the comments during his presentation at the 2021 GIJ Webinar on the topic: “Assessing the Performance of the Media during the 2020 Elections” on Friday, April 9, 2021.
He reminded journalists that the platform they have is not only for reporting but for scrutinizing and criticizing the issues.
In his view, “these are the most important tools and dimensions for nation-building, as clearly stated in the mandate of the media under the 1992 constitution”.
Mr. Avle, therefore, urged practitioners and media houses to build their capacity because “a media house is only as strong as its journalists”.
According to him; “The strength of a media house doesn’t depend on how many adverts you do, how many billboards you put up, or how far your transmission goes. It is about how credible and knowledgeable your reporters are. The better your reporters, the more credible you become and the better impact you make.”
This year’s maiden edition of GIJ’s Public Online Forum was organized by the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID) of the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Bernard Avle used the opportunity to touch on how Citi FM/Citi TV comprehensively covered the 2020 general elections before, during and after the polls.
