Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of The Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has cautioned journalists and media organisations against allowing the pursuit of online attention, speed and social-media popularity to undermine professional journalism.

Speaking at the 77th anniversary symposium of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra, Pratt said the primary responsibility of journalists was not to generate the highest engagement but to establish and report what the public needed to know.

“The journalist’s task, however, is not simply to maximise attention, but to determine what the public needs to know,” he said.

The veteran journalist, who is also the founder of Pan African Television, said the rise of digital platforms had created an environment in which controversy, outrage and sensationalism were often rewarded with greater visibility.

He cautioned journalists against allowing those incentives to determine editorial decisions.

Pratt also challenged the assumption that speed was the defining measure of successful journalism, saying being first to publish did not necessarily mean producing the most important or accurate story.

“A journalist could be the first to publish a story and still be wrong, while another journalist could publish later and produce the most important story of the day,” he said.

“The internet rewards speech. Journalism requires judgment.”

He identified accuracy, verification, fairness, courage and investigative scrutiny of influential people and institutions as essential pillars of credible journalism.

Pratt said the central challenge facing journalism had shifted from access to information to determining what was true in an increasingly saturated information environment.

He also criticised media organisations that use social-media popularity as a criterion for hiring journalists, particularly television presenters.

He said some television stations required prospective presenters to have a minimum number of Facebook followers before they could be employed.

“That is a complete affront to all of our standards and they should bow their heads in shame. They are contributing significantly to undermining our credibility,” he said.

Pratt argued that journalism should be judged by professional competence and public value rather than the size of an individual’s online following.

He further urged media organisations to reconsider how they represent different sections of Ghanaian society in their coverage.

According to him, national news often gives disproportionate attention to politicians, state officials, corporate executives and other institutional actors, while ordinary citizens receive limited and often episodic coverage.

He cited farmers, market women, fishermen, educators, health workers, unemployed young people and communities among groups whose experiences deserved greater attention.

“These people are not merely background scenario to the national story. They hold the country in place,” he said.

Pratt urged journalists to develop what he described as “the responsibility to listen and not only the ability to speak”, arguing that journalists must go beyond press conferences and official statements to understand the experiences of citizens.

“If journalism is serious about telling the people’s story, it must go where the people are,” he said.

Pratt also linked the challenges facing contemporary journalism to the profession’s historical role in Ghana’s democratic development.

He noted that the GJA, established on August 15, 1949, as the Africa Press Association, emerged during a period of significant political change in the Gold Coast.

He said the press had historically been an active participant in Ghana’s struggle for self-determination and should continue to play a meaningful role in the country’s democratic development.

He cited the 1992 Constitution’s guarantees of media freedom and independence, as well as its responsibility to hold government accountable to the people.

“Press freedom without responsibility can become reckless, and responsibility without freedom can become submission,” he said.

The journalist also raised concerns about the influence of media ownership, financing, advertising and political affiliations on editorial independence.

He argued that the absence of direct state censorship did not necessarily mean journalists were free from other forms of pressure.

Pratt said media organisations could not demand fearless and independent journalism while ignoring the economic and professional conditions under which journalists worked.

The symposium was held under the theme “GJA at 77: Building on our legacy, advancing ethical journalism and shaping the future of digital media.”

Other speakers included the Chairperson of the National Media Commission, Professor Akua Opokua Britwum; Director-General of the National Communications Authority, Rev. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko; and UNESCO Representative to Ghana, Edmond Moukala.

GJA President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour also called for a renewed commitment to professional standards as the association confronts challenges posed by digital media and artificial intelligence.

He said the GJA had a responsibility to provide journalists with professional development, guidance and protection, but journalists also had a responsibility to uphold the standards that underpin the credibility of the profession.

“The association cannot defend the credibility of journalism if journalists themselves are unwilling to uphold the standards that make that credibility possible,” he said.

Dwumfour described the GJA leadership as “custodian, not owner” of the association and said its responsibility was to strengthen the institution for future generations.