A renowned journalist and Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Mahama Seth Sayibu, has called on media owners in Northern Ghana to invest in their radio stations if they wish to succeed in the business. Speaking on Zaa Radio’s N’Chawu Drive Show with Sulemana Alhassan Tarimbia, Dr. Sayibu emphasized that hiring unqualified practitioners in an attempt to cut costs is a misguided strategy.
“There’s a lot for journalists and radio stations in Tamale to do,” Dr. Sayibu stated, stressing the need for formal training in journalism. He urged station owners to organize refresher courses for their employees, bringing in university lecturers to provide on-the-job learning. “But they don’t want to pay, and who will do that for you for free? So if you don’t want to spend money, you can’t get the money,” he added.
Dr. Sayibu also advised journalists in the Northern Region to seek formal education through mature studies if they lack the necessary qualifications. “My advice for journalists in Tamale is that if you don’t have the requirements to get formal training, look for it, go to school, learn the job, and then learn more through practical attachment. From there, you will know what you are about. But if you are just there playing songs and claiming you are a journalist, you will just be marking time—you won’t go anywhere,” he cautioned.
Addressing the current state of journalism, Dr. Sayibu expressed concern that many media practitioners are more focused on amassing wealth than on the ethical practice of journalism. He lamented that over 70 percent of journalists in Tamale are not properly trained. “If I am to give a percentage, I don’t think even 30 percent will be fair when it comes to well-trained journalists working and discharging their duties properly in the Northern Region. I am a journalism teacher and have been reporting for a very long time, so I know what I am talking about,” he asserted.
Dr. Sayibu noted that the quality of journalism has declined, with many journalists no longer willing to go the extra mile to cover important stories. “The way we used to write and report—they no longer report or write as such. The problem is that they are not properly trained. Secondly, people love money more than this job. I could go as far as Gushegu and other communities to do stories, but today they no longer do that. They feel like they have to get money from every story they do, and that is not journalism,” he emphasized.
He concluded by advising that for journalists to be successful, they must first build their brand before they can expect to profit from it. This, he argued, is a fundamental concept that many journalists in the Northern Region have yet to grasp.
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Source: Zaa Radio
