Tamale (N/R), Mr George Agbenyo, the Northern Regional Statistician has reiterated the need for journalists to always sharpen their skills in analysing basic data and understanding issues about population.
According to him, Journalists were at the forefront of reporting about issues in the communities, districts and regions, hence, it was appropriate to know and understand issues about the population they reported on.?
Mr Agbenyo was addressing journalists at a three-day training workshop for media practitioners on population issues in Tamale, designed to equip them with skills and knowledge to produce facts and evidence-based reports.
The programme organised by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) started on Monday to Wednesday, June 5-7, 2023.
The about 40 participants were drawn from media houses and focal persons of UNFPA across the Bono and Bono East, Upper East, West, North East and Northern Regions.
Mr Agbenyo explained the growing demand for accurate and reliable news could not be contested, saying, that had been identified as providing an important role in the provision of vital information that greatly shaped public opinions on issues that affected the lives of the people.
He, therefore, urged the participants to upgrade their knowledge of data gathering and issues about the population through the workshop to enhance and enrich their reportage.
Alhaji Seidu Issifu, the Northern Regional Director of the National Population Council said population factors affected development, saying the development process also impacted population growth, structure and distribution.
He said population policies were therefore expected to be dynamic to address emerging issues as a society kept on developing.
Mr Majeed Yakubu, the Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association encouraged journalists to reflect on the ethics of the profession by focusing on honesty, neutrality, fairness and accountability.
Source: Ghana News Agency