The Chancellor for the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Sir Sam Jonah has admonished Journalists to protect the values of journalism in order to hold political leaders and governments accountable.
The business mogul, while addressing Journalists at the launch of the 75th Anniversary of the association in Accra on Wednesday, April, 17, impressed upon Journalists to be diligent with their work.
In his address, he stated that the journalism profession is not for the deceitful nor the greedy.
In the view of Sir Sam Jonah, the journalism work is meant to put government and other public office holders in check to ensure transparency and accountability.
He said, “It is worthy to note that journalism, while it may propel diligent investigators, analysts and writers to great heights, is not a profession for the lily-livered, the deceitful nor the greedy. Through fair and foul weather, the journalist must be willing and able to tell the truth to the people."
“In the reflection of today’s mirror, we observe a landscape altered by the winds of change. The once united front of objectivity and patriotism appears, to some, fragmented by the divides of partisanship and the shadows of materialism. The noble quest for truth now competes with the allure of political patronage and its material rewards, a phenomenon which threatens the sanctity of your independence—the Fourth Estate.
He further reiterated, “Yet, this is the period when the vigilance of the fourth estate is most needed. As we stand on the precipice of yet another electoral milestone, in my view, the most consequential, the echoes of past violence, the whispers of disenfranchisement loom and I don’t think anyone needs reminding that the conduct of the electoral exercise together with its outcome is so important that the nation cannot afford bias and unprofessional coverage of it by members of your profession.”
Sir Sam Jonah added that, if the journalist does not hold the government to account for every action they make, there will be dire consequences on the citizenry.
