Africa-Press – Ghana. Madam Rosalind Amoh, an astute sports journalist, has called on fellow journalists to embrace the digital age and uphold high standards of professionalism and ethical discipline.
She said this during the Betway Sports Journalism Conference in Accra, which was on the theme “Repositioning Ghanaian Sports Journalism in the Digital Age”.
According to Madam Amoh, digital media had become a relevant and powerful tool that audiences could use to have timely access to information anywhere in the world.
She said, “If your readers find out that you are not telling the truth, you will lose them. Build consistency, be sensitive as well as pathetic in terms of tragic news, and also respect the culture of people in times of grief.”
“Credibility, integrity, ethical discipline and holding the trust of the audience is the best responsibility a journalist could earn people’s trust and confidence.”
Dr Ernest Koranteng, a Sports Business Consultant, encouraged journalists to set an agenda for themselves.
He said, “Credibility and ethics are the bedrock of journalism; however, due to the growing rate of social media, the world has moved from journalism to content creator work, but at the heart of it all, credibility and accuracy are very important.”
Dr Koranteng urged content creators to be objective without exaggeration in order to protect their integrity.
He said, “The reader or listener must understand your work whether there is a price for it or not because position is not property, but honesty and integrity have a price.”
“All of us have to understand our work, build on it and learn the business aspect of it as well but not to focus only on the content.”
Explaining the legal aspect of digital journalism, Mr Saddick Adams of Angel Broadcasting Network said media practitioners must be cautioned about defamation, libel and slander statements that would harm someone’s reputation and lead to lawsuits.
He said online platforms make it easier for defamatory content to spread widely and quickly increase liability.
Mr. Adams stated that guidance is needed on constitutional provisions, statutory protections, copyright, and intellectual property related to legal issues.
Mr Gary Al Smith of Sporty FM said verification of content on the official website, press releases and families was essential in today’s digital age.
He urged content creators and bloggers to maintain ethical discipline and accuracy before speed in distributing news.
The conference, which was attended by more than 70 sports journalists, was supported by MTN, Stanbic Bank, Betway, Property Trek and Hubtel.
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