The Dean of the School of Information and Communication at the University of Ghana, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo has stated that the poor remuneration of Ghanaian Journalists leads them into taking ‘soli’.
‘Soli’ (short form for solidarity) is the practice in which journalists, who cover programs and events are given money, apparently to “cover the cost of travel to the event”.
Speaking on Starr Chat Wednesday with host Bola Ray, Prof. Gadzekpo said nothing justifies taking of soli but most journalists have no choice because of their meagre salaries.
“I don’t want to be holier than thou, I understand why journalists take soli, it’s not justified even though I understand and the reason is that they are poorly paid,” Prof. Gadzekpo said.
“But it’s not justified because one of the principles of journalism is to be independent from political persuasion…so in order to do your work well and live in that cardinal principle you cannot be taking money in such direct ways.”
She added that the working conditions of journalists in the country must be improved so they don’t become vulnerable to people who will pay them to cover stories.
Source: GhanaWeb
