Editorial: No Remorse

For the umpteenth time or so, we have said that the relationship between journalists and politicians is symbiotic. They need each other for the survival of their vocations and above all, democracy. It is amusing therefore that the visit to the residence of ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and his spouse by the Chief Executive Officer of Western Publications Limited, publishers of Daily Guide and a host of other papers, Gina Ama Blay, following the fire outbreak at the place, should ruffle feathers and even prompt both positive and negative comments. That we were not thrown out or even slapped surprised some. But are such persons not entitled to their opinions? They love the tension, exploiting it to their advantage and would have rather the visit was dramatized, with ex-President Rawlings assaulting his guests or even unleashing his hounds on them. He did not have to do that. Our visit was in tune with the spirit of the day and as part of the Ghanaian character of expressing sympathy to our aggrieved and traumatized neighbours. For us, it was also an opportunity to see at first-hand the extent of the bizarre inferno. As Mrs. Gina Blay stated during an address at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) recently, Daily Guide is unrepentantly in favour of democracy and would do all it can to uphold it. We love interacting with individual newsmakers and since, as we have always mentioned it, Rawlings and his wife, in and out of power, are two personalities about whom Ghanaians cherish reading about for whatever reasons, it was not untoward embarking on the mission. Stretching a hand to the ex-First Couple was therefore not a bad idea after all, the negative expectations of some notwithstanding. We mean different things to different people and cannot be loved by all. That is the reality of our industry and even in this ephemeral world as a whole; it is understandable. We may have our prejudices- negative and positive- being a human institution and therefore fallible. Remorseful about how we have plied our vocation so far is out of the question, as some might want to know. We would continue to present the stories as they unfold, guided religiously by the need to be sincere in whatever we do. We pray that our adherence to the canons of the profession, especially the statement of the facts and nothing but the facts, veraciously remains a critical hallmark of our operations. We make and feed on politicians as prized boxers; and as promoters, we depend on what they do and do not. We have vowed to uphold democracy, good governance and the unity of Ghana, and whatever it takes to sustain these ideals, we shall do, no matter whose ox is gored. Western Publications Limited and its host of publications, especially the Daily Guide, shall strive to educate, inform as well as entertain Ghanaians to the best of our ability, with no variations in our approach. We are here to stay, because as children of this country, we belong here and therefore have a right to be here and engage in our legitimate vocation for the good of our beloved country, Ghana.