A two-week training on "Freedom and Responsibility in the Media", organized by the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) of the InWent Capacity Building Programme in Germany, on Monday, kicked off at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra.

The programme which brought together 15 participants from the Ecowas member states, aims to examine the interdependence between quality and ethics in journalism. It seeks to empower journalists to make ethical decisions even under difficult circumstances. Delivering her opening remarks, Andrea Kambergs, course coordinator of the InWent Capacity Building programme, said the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) is one of the departments of the InWent. She revealed that the InWent was founded in 2002 and commissioned by the German government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the German business sector and other German Federal States.

According to her, the InWent focuses on the developing countries by improving their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) status, reducing poverty globally, protecting the environment, promoting the media, democracy and development, among others. The IIJ, she narrated, was founded in 1962 as an independent institute, but it later became a German foundation for development, aimed at strengthening critical and independent media in developing countries. The initiative, she went on, targets the print and online media, for young and upcoming journalists, senior editors, among others.

For her part, Professor Dr Barbara Thomas, one of the lecturers, who is also a veteran journalist, described journalism as an interesting field. She expressed hope that the training would impact the required knowledge into the participants and it would further strengthen their capacities.