By Adnan Adams Mohammed<\/p>\n
\u200bIn an era of rapid-fire news and rising misinformation, Ghanaian journalists are being called to trade emotional narratives for the hard precision of data to safeguard the integrity of the profession.<\/p>\n
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\u200bThe charge was led by Nii Nookwei Tackie, a data analyst and lecturer at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC-IJ), during an intensive training session on data journalism and spreadsheet analysis held at the Central Hotel in Accra.<\/p>\n
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\u200bThe Power of the Spreadsheet<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bAddressing a room of media practitioners, Mr. Tackie argued that the difference between a “good” story and a “transformative” one often lies in the reporter’s ability to interpret numbers. He emphasized that data-driven reporting isn’t just about statistics; it\u2019s about uncovering truths that are otherwise hidden by surface-level observations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200b\u201cCertain stories were made possible only by journalists who could read and analyze data,\u201d Tackie noted. He explained that reporters who ground their work in verified numbers are far more likely to command public trust and stand out in an increasingly crowded media landscape.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bFacts vs. Feelings<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bOne of the most poignant warnings from the session was the danger of “overly emotional reporting.” Tackie observed that without data, certain national issues can be framed as far more alarming or skewed than they truly are.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200b\u201cIf you decide to be different and stick to what the numbers are saying what actual data is saying you present it clearly, and people begin to recognize you as someone who understands the conversation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This approach, he argued, makes complex national issues easier for the general public to digest and act upon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bA Crisis of Credibility<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bA significant hurdle in Ghanaian journalism, according to Tackie, is the frequent failure to cite data sources. He warned that “anonymized” data weakens the impact of a story and erodes public confidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200b\u201cStories that actually show the source of the data are rarely mentioned in our context. This is significant if you want to build credibility. You want people to wake up in the morning and trust that you are accurately reporting data,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bEmpowering the Citizenry<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bThe ultimate goal of this analytical shift is more than just better journalism it is better democracy. By providing properly analyzed and transparently sourced data, the media empowers citizens to make informed decisions on critical national issues, from economic policy to public health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200bAs the training concluded, the message to Ghana\u2019s press corps was clear: in the modern age, the most powerful tool a journalist carries isn’t just a microphone or a pen\u2014it’s a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Adnan Adams Mohammed \u200bIn an era of rapid-fire news and rising misinformation, Ghanaian journalists are being called to trade emotional narratives for the hard precision of data to safeguard the integrity of the profession. \u200bThe charge was led by Nii Nookwei Tackie, a data analyst and lecturer at the University of Media, Arts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3269,445,3268],"class_list":{"0":"post-11587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-arts-and-communication-unimac-ij","9":"tag-journalists","10":"tag-university-of-media"},"yoast_head":"\n