[ 2015-11-27 ]

Journos urged to report disasters, tragedy with caution
Ghanaian journalists have been asked to be
circumspect in their reportage of disasters and
tragedies.

At a dissemination workshop in Accra Thursday,
researchers at the Centre for Media Analysis, who
used the June 3 twin fire and floods disaster as a
case study, said focus was placed on authorities
than the victims.

The centre has therefore challenged media houses
to map out guidelines on how to report disasters.

CEO of the Center for Media Analysis Dr. Messan
Mawugbe says training on disaster reporting has
become crucial.

He said training on disaster reporting as well as
specific policies by media house on disaster
reporting would enable journalists to present the
salient aspects during tragedies.

A lecturer of the Department Of Communication
Studies at the University Of Ghana Dr. Etse
Sikanku said the media should not be quick to move
from one story to the other.

He said journalists must ensure stories they
report get a favourable response before they move
to a different one.

According to him, the speed with which the media
move from one story to the other contributes to
the kind of response it gets.

The message to journalists at the workshop was
simple: the subject matter of the story should be
the victims.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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