A lecturer at the University of Media Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism, UNIMAC-IJ, Dr Solace Yawa Asafo, has called on the institute to include journalist safety courses in its curriculum.
She made this call while speaking at the 9th Inter-Faculty seminar on the topic: ‘Media Training Schools and Journalists Personal Safety: A Survey of Journalism Students Perception and Knowledge of Personal Risks and Safety Measures’.
The event was organised by the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Development (DRID), the research department of the institute.
According to Dr Asafo, journalist safety must be paramount to media schools as professionals face a lot of dangers on the field, a matter which has not been attended to over the years.
In a research that was conducted, sampling UNIMAC-IJ students, it was found that 87 per cent of students perceived the journalism profession as a threatening one while just about 5 per cent did not perceive the profession as dangerous.
In recent times, journalists have suffered a lot of attacks in their line of duty. Media establishments have also not had it easy as people have stormed into media houses and attacked workers.
For instance, on 7 October 2023, some New Patriotic Party (NPP) youth attacked the studios of Accra-based UTV during a live broadcast of the entertainment show United Showbiz to demand a political commentator retract and apologise for what they claimed were insults and false accusations against the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia.
The hooligans stormed the studios, disrupted the programme, and threatened to assault the host and her guests. Similarly, a journalist with Accra-based Citi FM was reportedly assaulted by party faithful of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) while covering the vetting processes of parliamentary hopefuls at the Odoodiodoo constituency at the party’s office in South La.
More often than not, these issues are not attended to. According to the Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA, there have been 10 attacks on media houses in 2023 alone, however, only one of these issues has been addressed.
| Dr Mavis Essandoh, chairperson for the event
Since the fate of the journalist is usually left in their own hands, Dr Asafo believes that media schools must take it upon themselves and include a three-credit course in safety and security for student journalists.
The Chairperson for the event, Dr Mavis Essandoh, in her closing remarks acknowledged the presence of various Heads of Department, HoDs, who participated in the seminar. She, however, noted the growing dangers associated with the practice of journalism and reiterated calls to arm students with safety protocols during their studies at UniMAC-IJ.
“…I think that this [study] will inform the kind of courses we roll out. I have never thought about a safety course for journalism until you talked about it and I am happy the HoD is here and will take note of it…I thank everyone for coming,” Dr Essandoh added.
| Some attendees, UniMAC-IJ Staff & Dr Solace Yawa Asafo