There is Room for Excellence – Manasseh to UEW-Journalism Students
Ace investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has urged students at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, University of Education, Winneba (UEW), to persevere in their efforts to excel at the things they do to secure befitting jobs after graduation.
The renowned broadcaster was speaking on the topic “Investigative Journalism and Media Capture: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Way Forward” at a day’s seminar organised by the Department of Journalism and Media Studies of the School of Communication and Media Studies (SCMS), on Thursday, 1st September, 2022, at the North Campus Mini-Conference Room.
He underscored the need to uphold excellence in all endeavours to prevail against the suppression of naysayers. He encouraged the students to start publishing as bloggers, explaining that through it, an employer might develop an interest in their articles and eventually decide to employ them.
"Don’t look at the barriers; there are always opportunities. Keep publishing, keep sharing with your friends, and one day, somebody who has the power to change your destiny will chance upon your work and say, I have to look for this person. So, there are opportunities out there. The job market is very choked but there are a lot of vacancies for excellence," he asserted.
The 2011 journalist of the year entreated students to take their internships very seriously. "These days, several media organisations recruit when they see what you have done. If you are a journalist, your strongest CV is your by line, not your first class; not the master’s or MPhil you have attained. If someone sees your report and likes it, the person is likely to reach out to you to get internship opportunities," he said.
He advised them not to be money-conscious when they begin their professional journalism careers but rather position themselves and, as long as they produce good content, the money would follow suit.
The Ag. Head of Department (HoD), Journalism and Media Studies, Dr. Gifty Appiah-Adjei, stated that she was influenced by the post-truth and information disorder the world is currently experiencing to organise the seminar. She said that in this way, students would be abreast of the technical know-how in investigative journalism to uncover hard truths in making the world a better place.
"We are now in an era where democratic regimes are tagged as pseudo democratic regimes, and you will agree with me that in such times, investigative journalism stands tall because the investigative journalist goes the extra mile to do thorough work to let us know the truth and untruth surrounding whatever controversy or scandal we are confronted with as a nation.
“I strongly believe that at the end of the day we are going to learn a thing or two that will help us as citizens of Ghana in contributing our quota as journalism students in advancing our democracy and our nation,” she said.
Faculty members of the School including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andy Ofori-Birikorang; Dean of SCMS, Dr. Charlotte Fofo Lomotey; HoD of Communication Instruction, Dr. Christiana Hammond; HoD of Development Communication, Mr. Kwesi Aggrey; HoD of Strategic Communication, Dr. Mavis Amo-Mensah; Lecturers, Ms. Abena Abokoma, Ms. Akosua Asantewaa Anane, Ms. Yvonne Dedzo, Ms. Korkor Watson, Ms. Elizabeth Owusu Asiamah, Mr. Bismark Odum Sackey, Mr. Rainbow Sackey and Ms. Belinda Osei-Mensah graced the occasion.
