The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has urged greater collaboration and mutual respect between the media and the security services.

Speaking at an engagement with the leadership of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Dwumfour underscored the need for constructive synergy between the two institutions, lamenting the frequent misunderstandings and physical confrontations that have strained relations in recent years.

“I believe the security needs the media, and the media also needs the security. We all need each other,” he said.

According to him, both professions are rooted in information gathering, with only a difference in purpose.

“Actually, we all do the same job. We gather information, process it, and transmit it as news. The security services also gather information, process it, and use it as intel,” he explained.

He stressed that while journalists make information publicly accessible, security agencies rely on it for operational intelligence. Despite this divergence, the shared foundation of information gathering should foster cooperation, not conflict.

“So why do we assault each other?” he asked, citing recent incidents of harassment and assault of journalists in the line of duty, particularly during public events and security operations.

Mr. Dwumfour further emphasized that dialogue, mutual understanding, and joint training could strengthen relations and enable both institutions to serve the public more effectively.