Daily Guide Reporter Picks An Award

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Thomas Fosu Jnr (M) with his award

DAILY
GUIDE’s parliamentary correspondent, Thomas Fosu Jnr, was adjudged the best
reporter at plenary sittings or proceedings from the Chamber of Parliament during
the first-ever parliamentary reporting awards ceremony in Parliament on Friday
night.

Organised
by the Parliamentary Press Corps, in conjunction with leadership of Parliament
and the Public Affairs Department of Parliament, the maiden award ceremony was
attended by the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye; the First Deputy
Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, and some Members of Parliament (MPs) both from the Majority
and Minority sides.

For
his recognition, Thomas Fosu Jnr was presented with a beautiful plaque, a
32-inch Nasco LED TV and a piece of cloth.

Ghana News Agency‘s (GNA) Benjamin Mensah was
adjudged the best reporter on sittings by the Appointments Committee of
Parliament, while New Times Corporation’s Julius Yao Petetsi won the best
reporter on sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.

The
overall best parliamentary reporter was conferred on Business & Financial Times‘s
reporter, Eugene Davis, for having his works shortlisted among the best three
stories in each of the three categories and accumulating the highest cumulative
points in the three categories even though his work did not win any of the
three categories pencilled for the awards.

For
being the overall best reporter, he was given a plaque, TV set, a tablet, a piece
of cloth and an amount of GH¢5,000 donated by the Speaker.

The
New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Effutu, Alex Afenyo-Markin, and National
Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ellembele, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah were given
honary awards for being the most media friendly MPs from the Majority and Minority
sides.

Prof.
Mike Oquaye applauded the Parliamentary Press Corps for being an effective link
between the public and Parliament as an institution.

He
announced that for Parliament to be closer to the public, all committee sittings will
now be open to media coverage since the committee’s works are very important to
make the institution of Parliament very effective

He
said journalists covering Parliament must always be on top of issues to be able
to effectively transmit whatever is happening in Parliament accurately for
public consumption.

The
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Sagnirugu, A. B.A. Fuseini, who
deputised for the Minority leader, called on journalists to be always mindful
of their code of ethics and be professional in their reportage.

The
President of the PPC, Nana Birinkorang Agyeman, said the awards ceremony which
will be an annual affair was instituted to reward hard work and motivate
reporters to give off their best.

He
said they were setting up a fund with seed money of GH¢20,000
to assist members who want to further their education.

Dr.
Bona Koomson, a former communication lecturer at the University of Ghana and communication
consultant who was also the independent judge in determining the winning
stories, chaired the ceremony.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr