Transparency International Ghanatrains Journalists on Defence Integrity

Transparency International Ghana (TI-G), formerly Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has organised a training programme on Defence Integrity for media personnel in the Ashanti Region under the theme; “Strengthening Media Capacity for Reporting Defence Integrity and Accountability in Ghana”.

It was organised with technical support from the Transparency International Defence and Security Unit and funding from the Dutch Foreign Affairs.

The programme sought to address a recurring gap identified in the organisation’s engagement with journalists and media houses in Ghana: a willingness to report on governance and accountability issues, coupled with limited exposure to the specific frameworks, indicators, and vocabulary that make defence integrity reporting rigorous and credible.

It was also to equip participating journalists and media practitioners with a working understanding of defence integrity as a distinct field of governance and accountability, including the risk factors, institutions, and oversight mechanisms that define it as well as introducing participants to Transparency International’s Government Defence Integrity Index and related assessment tools.

Resource personnel were Dr. Michael Ofori-Mensah, Research Lead, Transparency International Defence and Security (TI-DS) and Dr. Patrick Brobbey, TI-DS.

Mr. Michael Boadi, Fundraising Manager, TI-G indicated that based on fear and poor relationship that exists between the media and the defence sector, media personnel do not bother to report on the issues relating to defence and security, noting that many have blamed the fact that within the defence sector, there is a need to keep certain things secret.

According to him, one needs to know “what to preserve and what to publish” in the national interest, which he described as a “balancing act”, stressing that both are seeking the national interest, but one needs to weigh and have a delicate balance so that in attempting to broadcast news, the journalist does not cause chaos, deepen conflicts, and also compromise state security,

Mr. Boadi urged media practitioners to “elevate standards” stressing that making headlines are not enough, and explained that development journalism is not just reporting what happened, but the impact of what happened on people.

From Oswald P. Freiku, Kumasi

 

 

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