<<Print>>

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Affail Monney, has called on Ghanaian journalists to start fighting for their own rights, a day after one of the presidential press corps lost his life whiles on duty.

He described the journalism profession as – “Dangerous, risky and hazardous” adding that – “Journalism is just like a pastoral work, when you are called, you have no choice than to serve”.

Mr. Affail Monney however proposed for a comprehensive insurance cover for all members of the Presidential Press Corps including other journalists in general.

He was empathic on NEAT FM’s morning show "Ghana Montie", that, journalists must now fight for their own “conditions of service.”

“There is a need for us to take a hard look on our conditions of service. This is the time for us to get insurance packages and others. Those who don’t have it, we will encourage them to do so,” he told host Kwasi Aboagye.

Some Presidential press corps sustained various degrees of injuries, while a Journalist with the Ghanaian Times, Samuel Nuamah lost his life in a fatal accident Thursday afternoon.

The victims include two journalists from state-broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, namely; Pascaline Adadevoh of Radio Ghana and Napoleon Ato Kittoe of GTV. The others are Patrick Bida of the Enquirer, Eddie Kwabi of TV3 and William Gentu of Peace FM.

Mr Affail Monney assured that journalists’ welfare will now be taken serious – according to him it was unfortunate that a proposal he raised during GJA annual meeting to shut up journalists’ dues to cater for the insurance was kicked aside.

“I hope now the issue of insurance policy for journalists will gain much prominence. Members will not vote against that agenda again…this is the time. What has happened should be a blessing in disguise,” he said. 

“Journalists must fight for their own right. We are rather fighting for doctors’ conditions of service whiles our own has been hidden under the bed. This shouldn’t happen anymore. We [Journalists] must fight for our right,” he said on NEAT FM.