Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, on Friday commissioned the Parliamentary Press Corps Press Centre.
The Facility, which is equipped with computers, would provide a congenial atmosphere for the members of the Parliamentary Press Corps to file their news stories timeously.
Mr Bagbin in his address said it was his fervent hope that members of the Parliamentary Press Corps would make optimum use of the facilities in the Press Centre for their utmost benefit; saying, “utilise the computers for timely reportage”.
He noted that over the years, the press in Parliament had worked tirelessly and creditably to disseminate speedy and accurate information from Parliament as an institution to the public.
“It has always been my hope that the Press Corps work under a more conducive atmosphere due to the enormous efforts you put into your work and your critical role as a link between Parliament and the citizenry,” he said.
He noted that he was persuaded that a good working environment would enhance the Press Corps’ professionalism and help them improve upon their effectiveness.
“While we as Parliament focus on providing you with the space and logistics that will enhance what you do, I expect that the Public Affairs Department (of Parliament), which we have planned to rechristen, restructure and strengthen soon, working with the various media houses, to ensure that media personnel who are assigned to Parliament have a certain profile of seniority, experience and professionalism.”
He said there was the need for a match between the calibre of the members of the Press Corps and the facilities placed at their disposal in order for Parliament, the media houses and the citizens to benefit from the work of the Parliament Press Corps.
The Speaker said Parliamentary reporting was a highly technical field, which requires a lot of study, knowledge and expertise; adding that reporting from Parliament was best mastered through practice and experience.
Mr Bagbin said his personal support to the media in Ghana and the Parliamentary Press Corps in particular was an open book and well known to many people.
“I am aware that the executives of the Parliamentary Press Corps, working with the Public Affairs Department, have a way of admitting journalists assigned to Parliament,” he said.
“I urge the executives to continue to ensure that as much as possible, very qualified and professional journalists with good experience are available to report on proceedings of the House.”
He urged the editors and gatekeepers in the various media houses to assign very experienced reporters to Parliament and make a conscious effort to keep them here for a considerable amount of time to enable them to learn the ropes so they could produce excellent reports; declaring that “needless to say, this will make the news houses credible sources of information on Parliament”.
Mr Bagbin urged the Parliamentary Press Corps to look beyond the Chamber in their search for stories from Parliament; saying “There are a lot of human interest stories which do not only make for interesting reading but are also very informative”.
“I urge you to look for these stories and show Ghanaians that there are very interesting activities undertaken by members and staff of the institution.”
