Plan the news and don’t rush it

• Samson Lardy Anyenini said the media in Ghana should focus on getting the truth and right information to the public rather than rush it

• He said there is no need to rush the news but rather it must be planned

• He called on the media to always look out for news that makes an impact and not just break any story

Lawyer and media practitioner Samson Lardy Anyenini has called on the media to plan its programmes chronologically and not to rush it.

He said news is to educate and inform and there is a need for the media to plan to it well before executing it to make an impact in society.

Speaking at a media forum on the RTI, investigative journalism and the fight against corruption in Accra, Mr Anyenini said the media is in hurry to break the news rather than going further to find all the angles to it before breaking it.

“The bigger problem is the Ghanaian media doesn’t seem to largely plan the news. Planning the news shouldn’t take investigative journalism to plan the news. Deal with the story to the extent that you know, don’t try and project things that you don’t know…Then after that take your time and follow the story through and that is where you make the application for the information. Don’t rush it, get the information right,” he said.

He also said some media houses only look for the news to break for them to lead the conversation. The legal practitioner explained that although in some cases it’s good, it is important to get the right details before the story is put out for public consumption.