Alban Bagbin, Invest in and safeguard public media

Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has lauded the role that the media plays in fostering a nation and urged all stakeholders, particularly the government, to assist them.

He claimed that without the involvement of the media, no institution, including Parliament, could succeed.

The Speaker underlined that every President should value and support media organizations as a top priority.

“Really, you are the ones who influence politics and growth.

There is no question about it, and for that reason, every President ought to value and support it, according to Mr. Bagbin.

He made the claim last Thursday while speaking with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) about the annual Press Freedom Index for Ghana and how the media could collaborate with Parliament to mark the 30th anniversary of parliamentary democracy.

Mr. Bagbin emphasized the need of safeguarding the public media because they serve the general populace.

The Speaker said, “Yes, the private media is significant because they must represent and prioritize the private interest, but the public media should be safeguarded because of the broader public interest.

Influence of media

Regarding the influence the media had on his political goals, Mr. Bagbin asserted that he would not have succeeded in politics without the media.

He recalled how the media helped him go ahead when he was “a young boy with new face” and thrown into the role of Minority Leader in 2001.

“The media kept me around, promoted me, followed me around, and helped shape who I am today. Therefore, I value the media, the Speaker stated.

The Speaker praised the Daily Graphic, the country’s best-selling newspaper, for being what he called “a shining example of media professionalism in Ghana” during an interactive session with the Managing Director of GCGL, Ato Afful, the Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey, and the Daily Graphic editorial team.

The GCGL’s flagship publication, according to him, had a good influence on business, the economy, politics, and women’s empowerment in addition to helping to form the nation’s moral conscience.

He said, “I am one of your admirers,” adding, “The Daily Graphic is always a shining example of leadership as it is quite a popular and well-known newspaper and that is why all newspapers in Ghana are referred to as Graphic.”

The Speaker expressed his appreciation for the function and contribution the Daily Graphic and the media, in general, had throughout the years in the nation’s developing democracy.

He also commended the Daily Graphic for assuming the role of media industry captain of awardees and leading the charge for women’s emancipation.

The Daily Graphic includes a page specifically devoted to “Gender” where it promotes and addresses problems affecting women, kids, and the weak.

Because we have left our better halves far behind and it is impossible to leave them behind us, the Speaker said, “Women empowerment is a passion to me.”

Treasure trove

Mr. Bagbin praised the GCGL for being “a treasure trove” and added, “You have a house for research and many writers have always referred to your publications.”

We are aware of the importance of you in world politics, and I am glad to say that whenever I travel, I compare your publications to those of other foreign newspapers and find that you consistently come out on top. You’re a part of social media in addition to being a newspaper, the Speaker remarked.

Kofi Attor, the Speaker’s chief of staff, Gayheart Edem Mensah, a communications expert, and other staff members were with him.

Chronicling history

According to Mr. Afful, the corporation was among the organizations that had played a significant role in the advancement and development of the nation.

He noted that the history of GCGL was rather proud and stated, “We believe that decades of editors, writers, and journalists, among others, have contributed immensely to enable this institution to come this far.”

According to Mr. Afful, with its team of writers and journalists, GCGL has chronicled the history of the nation from the time of pre-independence and independence until the present day, covering 30 years of parliamentary democracy in the Fourth Republic.

“As a result, we have a wide range of resources that will allow Ghanaians to make an accurate assessment of how the media landscape has changed under this democracy.

Mr. Afful continued, “Graphic takes its mandate seriously as the conscience of the nation.

Presence

Emmanuel Arthur, the corporate communications manager, Samuel Essel, the director of finance, Samuel Doe Ablordeppey, the night editor, Samuel Bio, the editor of graphic digital, Enoch Darfah Frimpong, and other members of the editorial staff were also present at the meeting.

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