Kwesi Pratt Jnr criticizes social media follower counts as hiring criteria

Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr has criticized the practice of some Ghanaian television stations using social media follower counts as a primary hiring criterion for presenters. Speaking at the 77th anniversary symposium of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra, Pratt described this trend as “a complete affront to all of our standards,” warning that it undermines media credibility by prioritizing popularity over journalistic competence.

Pratt emphasized that journalism should not be a contest for attention or a race for digital engagement through controversy and sensationalism. He argued that the core duty of a journalist is to determine what the public needs to know through professional judgment, accuracy, and verification, rather than simply maximizing audience reach. He urged newsrooms to maintain the professional benchmarks that distinguish journalism from general online content, noting that the modern challenge has shifted from accessing information to verifying truth in an oversaturated digital environment.