The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has stressed the need for support for the state-owned media to promote the national interest. Media should not be seen as a function of the private sector. Mr. Bagbin was speaking on Thursday, at a ceremony to honour some past members of the Parliamentary Press Corps and institutions that have contributed to the building of the capacity of the Parliamentary Corps. The function was organised by the Parliamentary Press Corps with support from the leadership of parliament. "The state-owned media should be seen as a critical institution of state and should be truthful, factual and candid in order to prevent enmity," he stated. He also asked editors and managers of media houses to realise the importance of specialisation in reporting adding, "the frequent change of the Parliamentary Press Corps does not augur well for parliamentary reporting. On his part, the Majority Chief Whip, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, advised members of the press corp that if they want to have a firm grip of activities of Parliament, then they should work towards specialisation. He noted that although it is good to be a general practitioner, it is better to have speciality. He said the leadership of parliament will liaise with the press corps to identify areas of need to enable parliament to offer assistance. The Speaker of Parliament, Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes, acknowledged the essential role of the press corps, saying, "Parliament needs the media to demystify the proceedings of parliament to the public" He advised the press corps to adhere by the ethics of the journalism profession by cross-checking their facts to avoid any infringement noting that parliamentary reporting is a specialised field which calls for constant research to be able to come out with good and accurate reports. Times