The executive director of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr George Sarpong, has lauded Wisconsin International University College, Ghana for taking a bold step in producing a newspaper to serve students and neighboring communities.
The school which is one of the leading private universities in Ghana launched the community newspaper as an experiential learning tool to aid students to apply the abstract theories, principles and norms of modern journalism that they are exposed to.
This will also help to resurrect the newspaper industry which has been predicted by experts to crumple out of existence by 2035 due to convergence and digitization in technology combined with the explosion in reception devices.
The average young person in the world today relies more on digital content from social media and other online platforms for news, information, education and entertainment rather than newspaper. However, the NMC boss has urged Ghanaians to change the narrative.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Sarpong indicated that, even though the global newspaper readership had dropped to about 59 per cent, it had risen to 84 per cent in India and 82 per cent in Malaysia, therefore Ghana can also emulate same to boost readership of newspapers in the country.
Mr Sarpong also revealed that the newspaper industry provides more authentic news and information than the digital platforms.
“A number of factors support the leap of faith taken by this University to start this newspaper. One is the phenomenon of fake news. It has been discovered that it is easier to fake digital content than printed matter. In fact, this is one of the reasons behind the resurgence of community newspapers in the United States. This may not be different from Ghana,” he noted.
Wisconsin News will serve students and neighboring communities with frequent news and information. The Vice Chancellor of Wisconsin International University College, Professor Obeng Mireku who lauded the initiative by the School of Communications Studies, said the project will undoubtedly prepare students to be champions of constitutional right to free speech and media freedom as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
According to him, the role of media practitioners as a Fourth branch of government in strengthening democracy in a developing state such as Ghana cannot be overemphasized, hence, the need for authorities to inculcate proper journalistic skills in students and practitioners is crucial.
Professor Mireku commended the efforts of the Dean of the School of Communication Studies, Professor Kwame Karikari and his colleagues for working tirelessly to ensure the dream of Wisconsin University owning a newspaper comes to pass.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Josephine Asabea Akonor