Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, has urged media practitioners to uphold professional standards and strengthen public trust amid rapid technological and artificial intelligence (AI) advances.

He said journalism in the digital era must help audiences distinguish truth from falsehood by providing accurate and credible information in a society overwhelmed by information.

Mr Pratt made the call at the 77th Anniversary Symposium of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra, where he said public trust could be built through courageous reportage, distinguishing evidence from allegations, investigating the powerful and listening to people without access to power.

“Media trust is not created by a slogan, and it is not created by telling citizens that journalists are professionals…

“It is built when a journalist refuses to publish an unverified allegation even though publication would generate enormous attention, and when journalism refuses to become an instrument of political convenience,” he said.

The symposium, on the theme: “GJA@77: Building On Our Legacy, Advancing Ethical Journalism and Shaping the Future Of Digital Media,” brought together media practitioners, corporate organisations and diplomatic representatives.

Mr Pratt said freedom of expression must be regarded as a responsibility to pursue the truth, adding that technology should complement journalism without replacing professional judgement.

“AI can help newsrooms perform tasks that previously consumed enormous amounts of time…but AI does not remove the journalist’s fundamental responsibility.

“A machine can generate a paragraph, but it cannot take moral responsibility for the consequences of publishing it… Technology must remain a tool. It must never become the ultimate editor,” he noted.

Mr Pratt called on the GJA to continue protecting journalists, advocate better conditions of service, hold members accountable and enhance practitioners’ capacity to use technology responsibly.

“The right to publish means very little if the person exercising that right can be intimidated, attacked or brutalised for doing legitimate journalistic work.”

“We must defend journalists, but it is equally important that we defend the public from irresponsible journalism. Press freedom cannot mean freedom from accountability,” he said.

Mr Pratt urged journalists to serve the public interest while political actors and citizens continued to support a free press as a safeguard for the country’s democracy.

Mr Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), emphasised accuracy, context, fairness, accountability and disciplined verification as social media posts increasingly competed with traditional media.

He called on media houses to establish clear policies on the responsible use of AI, adding that digital security should form part of professional journalistic practice.

“Newsrooms hold sensitive information on published investigations, confidential sources, personal data. A compromised newsroom can endanger not only an institution, but the people who place their trust in it,” he said.

Mr Fianko emphasised the Authority’s commitment to monitoring and regulating electronic communications infrastructure.

Professor Akua Opokua Britwum, Chairperson of the National Media Commission, said ethical journalism must go beyond individual conduct to include the governance of digital platforms.

“Ethical journalism in the age of digital media is a collective responsibility resting first on digital platforms and the regulatory capacity to ensure digital platforms assume the responsibility for ethical adherence,” she said.