Host of the Citi Breakfast Show and General Manager of Citi FM/Citi TV, Bernard Koku Avle has shared with young journalists the secret to a world of opportunities.
Speaking at the 16th edition of the “Kronti ne Akwamu” (Democracy and Governance) lecture, Mr. Avle emphasised the need to develop one’s skill, even in the absence of incentives.
“As a young journalist, you need to build credibility. Anybody who gives you money thinks he controls you. Nobody sitting in front of me will think that he can influence what I ask him, because I will not take money from you. And you need to learn that very early in life. Otherwise, by the time you become a ‘celebrity’, the platform will destroy you.”
He explained that when an individual develops his craft, he gains credibility, which in turn presents him with opportunities.
“How do you survive when you are not paid? I tell young journalists; work to learn before you work to earn, there is always a period where you do not have money. We used to walk. Build your craft. If you build your craft, credibility will follow, and what credibility does is to open doors for you.”
“It is important to intern, work on a campus radio station where there is no money, walk to cover stories, take trotro; that’s how you learn to develop honesty not when you become a big guy on the super morning show,” he stressed.
The ‘Kronti ne Akwamu’ Lecture is CDD-Ghana’s flagship annual public lecture on democracy and governance.
It is one of the Center’s initiatives that seek to bridge the gap between ideas, research and analysis on one hand, and pro-democracy and good governance advocacy on the other.
It is thus, aimed at enriching the quality of public discourse on democratic and governance reforms.
Click below to listen to Bernard Avle’s speech:
