Such poor work of journalism will not be out there even to the extend of going on BBC if journalism in Ghana is of a high standard and values. I am deeply sad not because of the fact that the speech delivered by the President of this republic His Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo had a quote which was taped from the speech by the former president of the United States of America but for the fact that there are many pressing issues that needs the attention of the media but for their unprofessionalism could welcome the President with humiliation.
Joy News just after some few hours of the inauguration ceremony thought it wise not to compare the democratic dispensation of Ghana to that of the Gambia but could compare the speech said to be the speech of a former president. Joy News, compare what is happening in Gambia to Ghana, compare the poor Karachi Nchumuru district which don’t have a single tiled road in the entire district to that of Kwabre East, compare the poor state of maternity care in Kpandai to that of Tema and not to sit in Accra and thinks there are no issues that needs the attention of your ill news room than this. The Joy News room needs to bow their head in shame.
This morning at 5:00am as I was listening to BBC radio, the name of my beloved country was heard and it was not to talk of the maturity of the Ghanaian people for their peaceful election and matured inauguration ceremony but it was about the mere speech written on a common paper delivered by the president of the republic which is said to be the same speech delivered by Ex-president Bush in 20th January, 2001 at 12:05 p.m. at the West Front of the Capitol. The speech by Mr. Bush read: “I ask you to be citizens: Citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character”.
In an interview with the writer of the George Bush speech she said ” I dont know why the office of the presidency should come out and apologize soo quickly, it might be tha the writer is a good reader and had read many speeches and recognised my work”. If the writer of that speech finds no fault with it why should journalists be soo worried to make noise over nothing on this. There are pressing issues like unpaid salary of newly posted teachers, poor road network, poor maternity care, high rate of unemployment, corruption in the various public service and more.
What baffle me is the kind of people that they call so called social commentators and communication experts the they call to solicit for their views. Call Woyome, Dzifa Ativor, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and more and ask them when they will pay the money that was manfully stolen from the public pulse.
The speech delivered by George Bush ends in a manner that seeks to advice us as a country but its been ignored and I quote ” We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment; it is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.
America at its best is also courageous.”
Owusu Achiaw Joseph
University of Education, Winneba
[email protected]
0549061528
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