MR. EDWARD Boateng, Executive Chairman of Global Media Alliance (GMA) and co-founder of the CNN Multichoice African Journalists Awards has urged African journalists to strive for excellence in their bid to furnish their audiences with information. Briefing the press in Accra about the upcoming Multichoice CNN Awards, Mr. Boateng revealed that excellence could be attained through “painstaking in writing, investigating, listening and making sure that stories are well written”. Using Ghana as example, he noted; “I don’t think we really do strive for excellence because I can say today in Ghana a lot of stories are hurriedly written which I think impedes smooth reading”. This he partly blamed on the under-resourcefulness of most media houses, urging “we need to be able to build our own internal capacity, which means that the media companies should be helped to grow if the public at large wants them to do a better job”. He encouraged media practitioners to see themselves and their job as worthy of excellence. According to him the Multichoice CNN Awards scheduled to take place in Accra from July 15 to July 19 was one way of recognizing and encouraging those who prove some excellence. The awards, launched in 1995, he said, was the longest running and the most prestigious Pan African competition for journalists on the continent. This year it received 1912 entries from 44 countries throughout Africa, including French and Portuguese speaking countries. Out of this figure 23 finalists emerged from 14 countries, including Ghana’s Isreal Laryea of Joy Fm and Daniel Nkrumah of Daily Graphic. The four-day awards event in Accra, he mentioned, would feature workshops, media forum, networking opportunities with senior journalists, editors, business leaders and media owners from across the continent, culminating in a gala awards ceremony on Saturday July 19. Category award winners at this event would sweep cash prizes plus laptops with modems and printers, while the overall winner gets an additional cash prize and a trip to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Source: Daily Guide