The Ghana Journalist Association is asking its members to file a complaint against event organisers who offer gifts including money to influence their reportage.

The GJA says event organisers have repeatedly been asked to stop offering cash, usually in envelopes, widely know to journalists as ‘soli’. But it says the practise seems to be continuing.

The case against financial inducement was highlighted at a round table discussion, which equated the payments of money to journalists to taking bribes.

Within the Journalist Association executives are divided in their position on the issue. The Acting President of the association in the Ashanti Region says it is not wrong for journalists to accept money from people who appreciate their work.

But the national President of the GJA, Ransford Tetteh says the association’s policy frowns on it and urges journalists not to hesitate to revert to the association if an event organiser offers to give them soli.

Meanwhile the General Secretary of the Advertisers Association of Ghana, Francis Dadzie says it will not be fair to ask journalists to lodge complaints against event organisers.

According to him, pressmen must bear equal responsibility for demanding money from event organisers and said he would be glad to see the day journalists would be bold enough to stand up against monetary offers from people who require their services.