‘Newsroom Poverty’ launch sparks debate on journalists’ welfare

The conversation that many journalists have whispered in newsrooms for decades finally found a public stage on Saturday, August 1, when communications scholar and former broadcast journalist Abdul Hayi Moomen officially launched his new book, Newsroom Poverty: The Silent Crisis in Ghanaian Journalism, before a packed audience at the University for Development Studies (UDS).

Politicians, academics, civil society actors, media practitioners, traditional leaders, students, development partners and members of the public converged to witness what many described as more than a book launch.

As guests queued to purchase signed copies, one sentiment echoed throughout the auditorium: Newsroom Poverty is not merely a book about journalists; it is a call for Ghana to reconsider how it values those entrusted with informing the nation.