Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Information and National Orientation Minister, on Thursday morning paid a familiarization tour of the offices of JOY 99.7 FM at Kokomlemle in Accra. In the Minister’s company were her deputy, Mr. Frank Agyekum and the Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure, Mrs Catherine Afeku. The team paid the call to familiarize with operations and staff of the station and to canvass support for the ministry’s fight to re-orient the society. Mrs Sai-Cofie, in brief remarks, urged JOY FM, ‘as market leaders’ in the media industry, to help the cause of building a more responsible society. She also praised the station for high journalistic standards and urged the staff not to relent in their pursuit of excellence. General Manager of JOY FM, Mr. Kwesi Asare, thanked the Minister and her entourage for the visit and said he was encouraged by the admonishing. JOY FM’s Programmes Manager, Mr. Kofi Owusu was happy for the prevailing media environment in the country, especially with the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, and urged the government, through the Minister, not to encourage any subtle attempts that will take away the freedom or kill the industry. Ms Matilda Asante, News Editor at JOY, commended the Minister for the initiative to build cordial relations with the media and urged her to pursue the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill to serve as a memento. She said while many office holders may offer information needed for publication for public consumption, the lack of a legal backing has led to many offering such information from memory and some of which tend to be unwholesome. The situation has also led to unnecessary disputes between media practitioners and officials on what was supposed to have been said or not. The Ministry, has since July 3, 2007, when it launched a National Orientation Sensitisation Programme, been sensitising the society on the core values of national pride, productive response to time, self-belief and the need to put Ghana first in all issues.