Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has urged journalists to prioritise truth and accuracy over speed and popularity.

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He said journalists must exercise discipline in verifying information before publication, particularly amid growing misinformation, disinformation, fabricated content and rapid technological change.

Mr Dwumfour made the call at the GJA’s 77th anniversary symposium in Accra on Wednesday, on the theme: “Building on our Legacy, Advancing Ethical Journalism and Shaping the Future of Digital Media.”

“Do not measure your success only by how many people see your story. Measure it by whether the story is true. Do not measure your influence only by the number of followers you have. Measure it by whether people can trust you,” he said.

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Mr Dwumfour said press freedom remained central to the GJA’s mandate but must be accompanied by responsibility, stressing that media credibility depended on accuracy, fairness, independence, accountability and respect for the dignity and rights of individuals.

“Sometimes, courage in journalism is not being the first to publish, it is having the discipline to wait. Verify and publish only when you are certain of the fact,” he said.

Mr Dwumfour said the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies was reshaping news gathering, production and distribution.

He said AI offered significant opportunities in research, transcription, translation, data analysis and monitoring, but also presented risks through misinformation, deepfakes and synthetic audio and images.

“The GJA’s position is clear. Technology must serve journalism. It must not destroy the values that make journalism worthy of public trust,” he said.

Mr Dwumfour urged journalists to strengthen their capacity in digital journalism, verification, fact-checking, data journalism and the responsible use of AI, while maintaining human judgement and ethical standards.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana