At the 30th GJA Media Awards in Accra, President Albert Dwumfour called for improved pay and working conditions for journalists, arguing that poor welfare undermines media independence and professional integrity.
Dwumfour highlighted several persistent challenges: low salaries, irregular payments, insecure employment, inadequate conditions of service, and limited opportunities for professional development. He warned that journalists struggling to meet basic needs are more vulnerable to undue influence and compromise.
“Improving journalist welfare is therefore not simply a labour issue. It is an investment in media independence, professional integrity and the quality of our democracy,” he said, stressing that the media industry must address the economic realities of its practitioners if it expects them to uphold standards and hold public institutions accountable.
The Association has intensified engagement with Parliament, media owners and labour stakeholders to develop a framework that tackles remuneration, job security and general welfare concerns. It maintains that those who inform society and hold power accountable deserve decent working conditions and a dignified standard of living.
As the debate continues, GJA’s appeal underscores the link between journalists’ economic security and the health of Ghana’s democratic discourse.
