Former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Dr. Opuni Frimpong has urged the Government and Ghanaians to give equal attention to the media as they are giving to frontline health workers in the fight against COVID-19.
Speaking exclusively to ABC News, the Presbyterian Minister argued that just as some health workers are putting their lives in danger by dealing directly with COVID-19 patients, journalists are also endangering their lives by going across the country to look for COVID-19 related information; through interviews to furnish Ghanaians with the needed information and education, and this, he said, can equally lead to the contraction of the disease.
“Elsewhere, media people who are sent out for correct information have contracted the virus and some are already dead and gone so while we celebrate our medical people or the frontline medical people for the excellent work they are doing, there are others, especially the media who are at risk because if you are talking about saliva and all that and they are sending microphones and things to people, going to communities and listening to them, they are already exposed to the threat,” he stated.
There has been a raging controversy among health groups in the country after President Akufo-Addo announced a 50% allowance for ‘frontline health workers’ for the next three months.
The controversy has been over who indeed qualifies to be called a ‘frontline’ health worker.
While the health workers controversy is still running, another sector, the media, is also demanding to be noticed as ‘frontline’ workers due to the nature of their work.
One group which is pushing this agenda is the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) which is arguing that categorisation of ‘frontline workers’ should be broadened to include the media.
Wading into this growing discussion, Dr. Opuni Frimpong also posited that the discussion must begin on including the media in the category of frontline workers.
However, Dr. Opuni explained that media owners should discuss the allowances for their workers, especially those who are sent on assignments or better still, government can reserve a package for journalists no matter how small.
“But who should answer the question as to what should be given to the media, we must continue that conversation, maybe the various media houses must do it if it’s not coming from the government or government must have a package for the media, no matter how small. Our media being at the frontline of the fight should not be ignored that they not making a significant impact in the fight.”
“In fact, some media persons in the US have died out of coronavirus already and we don’t know if even some of our media persons already have it or not because they have not been tested and the kind of work they do, they are also equally at risk.”
“So that proposal that any insurance should cover media, I’m all out for it, maybe who should do it is another problem. Whether the various media houses should do it for their members or government,” he told ABC News.
Dr. Opuni Frimpong commended the media for the work they are doing during the outbreak of the COVID-19 infection.
“The media has done very well…Some of the media platforms, they update you, not only even in Ghana, ABC your platform, for instance, you hear some of your team members updating us with things happening outside Ghana with correct, genuine, well-researched information and that media role they have played, whether they are part of the front liners and they should be given allowances, is another question but on the whole, Ghanaian media has done very well in terms of giving Ghanaian media the correct information,” he added.
Source: ABCNewsgh.com