Ghanaian journalists have been asked to be circumspect in their reportage of disasters and tragedies. 

At a dissemination workshop in Accra Thursday, researchers at the Centre for Media Analysis, who used the June 3 twin fire and floods disaster as a case study, said focus was placed on authorities than the victims.

The centre has therefore challenged media houses to map out guidelines on how to report disasters.

CEO of the Center for Media Analysis Dr. Messan Mawugbe says training on disaster reporting has become crucial.

He said training on disaster reporting as well as specific policies by media house on disaster reporting would enable journalists to present the salient aspects during tragedies.

A lecturer of the Department Of Communication Studies at the University Of Ghana Dr. Etse Sikanku said the media should not be quick to move from one story to the other.

He said journalists must ensure stories they report get a favourable response before they move to a different one.

According to him, the speed with which the media move from one story to the other contributes to the kind of response it gets.

The message to journalists at the workshop was simple: the subject matter of the story should be the victims.