Parliamentary Press Corps proposes centralised allocation of parliamentary media assignments

The leadership of Ghana’s Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) has proposed a rotation system for media coverage of parliamentary committee engagements to address growing demands by committees to select specific media houses for assignments in Accra.

The proposal is aimed at ensuring fair access to parliamentary assignments and reducing tensions among members of the Press Corps over the repeated selection of certain media houses.

Mr Simon Againab, a member of the Press Corps, disclosed this on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya, during a benchmarking study tour involving some PPC executives, the Director of Media Relations of Parliament and his officers.

According to him, committees engaging with state agencies in Accra often insist on particular media houses to cover their activities, creating difficulties for other members of the Corps.

He explained that the PPC operates a common platform where reporters share stories and information gathered from assignments, allowing members to access and use the content without necessarily attending every engagement.

“One person could go and then feed the platform with whatever news he or she might have gathered with the team and then we can use it on the platform,” he said.

Mr Againab noted that the Corps had no objection to Parliament engaging regional reporters for assignments outside Accra, given the financial and logistical constraints associated with deploying journalists from the capital.

However, he said the situation in Accra required a more coordinated approach, with requests for media coverage channelled through the Director of Media Relations and the executives of the Press Corps.

Under the proposed arrangement, the executives would rotate assignments among members to ensure that media houses that covered previous engagements were given way for others to participate in subsequent assignments.

“That is why we always say they should just leave everything with the Director. The Director will inform us that this committee is going out. The Executives can say these people went yesterday so another group should go today so that we can regulate them and then the story they want they can surely get it with such rotation,” he explained.

Mr Againab cited instances where different parliamentary committees repeatedly requested the same media houses to cover their engagements with ministers, describing the practice as a challenge for the Corps.

“If a committee for transport wants to visit the minister for transport and find out what the ministry is doing then they’ll say they want this particular media house. Then when the committee on energy is going to the minister for energy for engagement then they’ll mention the same media house that went out, so it becomes a problem,” he said.

He, however, stressed that the Corps was working to manage the situation and maintain cooperation with parliamentary committees.

“That is the main challenge we have but it’s not their fault. We are working to ensure everything is under control,” he added.

The benchmarking visit to Nairobi focused on media accreditation, press gallery management, communication strategies and collaboration between Parliament and the media to promote transparent and effective parliamentary communication.

Other areas of discussion included professional development in parliamentary journalism, media relations, the relationship between Parliament and the Press Corps, and the effective use of social media. The delegation engaged with Kenyan parliamentary media officials, including Chief Media Relations Officer Joe Okong’o.