Poor conditions of service for journalists have been blamed for the mediocrity and unethical behavior in the profession. According to the Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Affail Monney, some media owners have failed to pay realistic wages to journalists and that have affected the practice of the profession in the country. Mr Monney said the GJA is overly concerned about the poor conditions of service by journalists saying “there cannot be press freedom if the journalists live in conditions of poverty.” His comments follow hints by the Trades Union Congress to investigate working conditions of media practitioners in the country. The acting head of the Legal Research and Policy Institute of the TUC, Kwabena Nyarko said his outfit will take a critical look at the media landscape and adopt the appropriate research mechanism to gather information on conditions of service for media personnel in the country. The findings of the report, he said, will be used to bargain for better conditions of service for mediamen. Journalists in Ghana as part of their profession have fought for better conditions of service for workers in all sectors of the country’s economy. However, their own conditions of service are nothing to write home about. The GJA Vice President accused some media employers of exploiting their workers. “Some of the journalists are not paid at all and they are left as hungry lions to prey on their victims,” he told Joy FM. Asked what the GJA has done to remedy the problem, Mr Monney said there has been countless number of meetings with media owners to push for better conditions of service for journalists, but that is yet to achieve the needed results. He commended the TUC for the initiative and pledged his outfit’s support to ensure success and the general improvement in the conditions of service of journalists in the country. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana