Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, James Agalga, says his side is not seeking praise-singing from the Media, but honest and accurate reporting of Parliament.
He said this when addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) at their professional development workshop in accra.
The workshop, organized by the Media Relations Department of the Parliamentary Service, was held under the theme “enhancing the image of Parliament through the media.”
According to hon. agalga, most of the over 30 million Ghanaians will never have the opportunity to sit in the public gallery of Parliament, and therefore depend entirely on the press corps for their picture of the House.
“Parliament cannot be understood without the media. for them, parliament is what you report,” he told the journalists.
The Builsa North MP was candid that Parliament is perceived as slow, absent, partisan and weak on oversight.
He said while some of the criticism is fair, a lot of it comes from incomplete reporting.
He explained that the quiet, weeks-long work of scrutinizing bills at the committee level rarely makes headlines, while sharp exchanges on the floor dominate coverage.
He was clear that enhancing the image of parliament does not mean silencing criticism.
“A good image is built on a real reputation. if you expose a failing and we fix it, parliament’s image improves,” he noted.
He charged the press corps to prioritize accuracy over speed, understand parliamentary procedure, report the work and not just the quarrels, and serve as a firewall against misinformation, including AI-generated content.
“Guard your independence – from everyone, including us,” he added.
Hon. agalga on behalf of the majority caucus committed to openness, timely access to information, respect for press freedom and discipline in the chamber.
He also proposed regular engagement between leadership and the press corps, continuous training on legislative processes and a dedicated fact-checking channel to curb false headlines.
