The Director of the Institute of Journalism and Business Administration, P.F. Owusu has added his voice to the call for the speedy passage of the Broadcasting Bill.
He noted that the bill, when passed into law, would strengthen the capacity of the Ghanaian broadcasting media to be more effective in their work to sustain democracy and advance freedom of expression.
Mr Owusu was speaking at the 39th matriculation of the institute, in Kumasi.
Three hundred students were formally admitted to pursue Higher National Diploma in Journalism and Communication.
Mr Owusu said managers of radio and television stations have an onerous responsibility in promoting free speech in the country’s democracy.
They should, therefore, develop a culture of investigative and analytical journalism and be agenda-setters to improve broadcasting standards in the country.
Mr Owusu said when listening to radio sometimes, a listener gets the impression that some people in the media are misguided and do not know that one of the main functions as media practitioners is ensuring peace and harmony in the country.
He said even though broadcasting stations need to ensure their sustainability in a difficult market environment, this should not be an excuse for high professional standards to be relegated to the background through political influence and mediocre training.
Mr Owusu advised the freshmen to always avail themselves for lectures and practical work and read wide to broaden their academic horizon.
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