The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has urged media practitioners in the country to avoid speculations and the spread of falsehood in their reportage on issues related to finance in other not to misinform their audience. 

Director of Communications for the Bank of Ghana, Mr. Bernard Otabil, has admonished the media to take into consideration proper verification and fact checking before putting out any information related to finance. 

He implored the media to always seek clarification from appropriate quarters like the Bank of Ghana so as to navigate them report accurately on financial issues.

Mr. Bernard Otabil made this remarks while addressing the media at a BoG capacity building programme held in Winneba for journalists in the Central Region, aimed at broadening the media's horizon to well address the disinformation and misinformation on financial matters.

The workshop saw the capacity of journalists in the region augmented on topics like accurate reporting, mandate and regulatory role of Bank of Ghana, monetary policy practice in Ghana, understanding inflation dynamics in Ghana, developments in foreign exchange market, macroeconomic analysis and significance of macroeconomic indicators.

Describing the media as an important stakeholder to the operations of the Bank of Ghana, Mr. Otabil noted with a firm believe that "a journalist is only as good as his or her understanding of the subject reporting on."

Adding that "most at times we complain of misinformation or disinformation on particular subject matters by the media, which deeper findings often establishes that the journalist in question didn't have full facts and even sources to verify the subject matter. Therefore, having an overdrive of the topical issue with inaccurate report."

Mr. Otabil in view of this, observed that the capacity building programme is to guide journalists on how to report accurately and to lay to bare the work of the Central Bank in its perspective.

Mr. Kingsley Egyin Buadu, Chairman for the Central Regional GJA speaking at the workshop, challenged journalists in the region to strive and specialize, considering the path journalism turns to tilt towards.

He stressed that though as a journalist, the profession inquires that one becomes generalist in all fields, it's however imperative that media practitioners in the region cultch a niche for themselves in fields of finance, fisheries, climate, among others in other to grow relevant in their profession of practice.

The country's Central Bank under the leadership of Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama as Governor of the Bank of Ghana in its media capacity building programme held in the Central Region, has facilitated similar once at the Ashanti, Eastern, Western, and Volta Regions with about 125 media practitioners so far trained in these four regions.

Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan