Mr Baba Jamal, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister has advised journalists to perform their duties devoid of personal biases to ensure the development of the country.
He said the media was regarded as the fourth estate of the realm adding that just like the other three arms of government, a lot was expected of media practitioners to ensure that the country attained her socio-economic as well as political objectives.
Mr Jamal said this when opening a four-day workshop for journalists on "Gender Discrimination and Violence against Adolescent Girls" organized by Plan Ghana, an international child-centered non-governmental organization, at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The workshop, which brought together about 30 journalists, forms part of the NGO's "Girls Making Media" project which is aimed at eliminating gender discrimination by helping talented adolescent girls to enter the journalism profession, as well as improve the quality of media reportage on adolescent girls.
In all, 140 adolescent girls have been selected from senior high schools in Hohoe Municipality and Sogakope in the Volta Region and Asesewa in the Eastern Region to benefit from the programme.
Mr Jamal expressed worry about how some journalists covered news, which was to sensationalise as well as blow issues out of proportion saying this did not augur well for national development.
He suggested that every media practitioner must undergo formal training at an accredited journalism institution before being engaged to work in the industry.
He commended Plan Ghana for its initiatives at bringing relief to deprived communities, as well as assisting and empowering girls in deprived communities to realize their full potentials.
Mr George Yorke, Southern Sector Manager of Plan Ghana, was optimistic that the programme would enable the beneficiaries to become professional journalists and help to champion issues of community development.
Mr Yorke said depending on the success of the pilot project, Plan Ghana would replicate the programme in other parts of the country.