President John Dramani Mahama has given the strongest indication of the government readiness to support the media.
That “a free and independent media is a necessary ingredient for a strong and vibrant democracy”, he stated.
It was for that reason the government established the Media Development Fund to improve the skills of media practitioners, he explained.
President Mahama said this when a delegation of the Institute of Public Relations conferred with him at the Flagstaff House in Accra, yesterday.
The visit by the national executive of the IPR was to brief President Mahama, who is a fellow of the institute, on its upcoming programme of activities.
President Mahama expressed worry about the use of the media to politicise every national issue, and called on the media to use experts in their discussions.
The President also charged the IPR to devise programmes to educate and also sharpen the communication skills of practitioners.
Mrs Elaine Sam Kwami, president of the IPR, was worried about what she called needless emotions on the airwaves, and said the IPR is ready to collaborate with the government to train media practitioners” to avoid the distress listeners are usually subjected to”.
President Mahama is the 11th fellow of the Institute.
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