The third cohort of the Media Capacity Enhancement Programme to enhance the professional competencies of journalists in the country opened in Accra yesterday.
At least 100 journalists comprising practitioners from the print, online, radio, television and new media selected across the country are participating in the programme.
The theme for this year’s training is “Equipping the media to play an effective role in our nation building” and participants would be taken through seven modules including, impact journalism, ethics and the journalism mission, media law, media as a tool for socioeconomic development and nation building, digital media, digital storytelling, and online journalism, investigative reporting and election reporting.
Organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Information in collaboration with University of Media Arts and Communications (UniMAC), the MCEP seeks to position the media, as the fourth estate of the realm, to play its role effectively in the promotion of good governance in the country.
Delivering the opening address, the Minister of Information, Ms Fatimatu Abubakar, said the MCEP was more than just a scheduled event since it touched on the very core of the country’s governance system.
She noted that the role of the media in any democratic society cannot be overemphasised, stressing that “A flourishing democracy is built on the foundation of an informed and capable media.”
The Minister said the structured programme would not only help participants succeed in their career, but would also provide them the tools they required to make significant contributions to the advancement of the country.
“Recall that the media is a very strong instrument that carries a lot of responsibility. I implore you to maintain the greatest levels of professionalism and integrity throughout this programme. You have a vital responsibility to enlighten and educate the public, and you must do so with honesty and a dedication to the truth,” she emphasised.
The Vice Chancellor of UniMAC, Professor Eric Opoku Mensah, on his part noted that the primary goal of the MCEP was to increase professionalism between both media personnel and their media houses.
He said the third cohort training was more critical as the country head towards a competitive election in December, stressing that “It is therefore necessary for media personnel as well as media houses to demonstrate high levels of professionalism, such as objectivity, impartiality and balance in election story reporting.”
Prof. Opoku Mensah said UniMac was committed to delivering on the its mandate by building partnerships that ties in with the mission of the MCEP, stressing that “This partnership ties in with our mission to deliver training to media and journalism professionals who have no formal training and assist such important human resource in the media and journalism space get formal certification.”
He urged the participants to take advantage of the miniature courses fashioned out as part of the training to a pathway to acquiring diplomas and degrees that could bring more professionalism to the practice
BY CLIFF EKUFUL