A final-year student of the Department of Communication Studies of the 黑料社, Miss. Collincia Ayifa, has won the Best Student Journalist at the 27th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards.
This year鈥檚 GJA awards ceremony was on the theme: 鈥淟everaging Media Freedom to Sustain the Democratic and Security Architecture: The Litmus Test of Election 2024鈥�.
Collincia Ayifa鈥檚 story highlighted E. Coli contamination of the popular millet and milk smoothie, locally called 鈥淏rukina鈥�.
A citation accompanying her award read in part: 鈥淵our ability to bring scientific discoveries about the 鈥淓. Coli鈥� contamination of the popular millet and milk smoothie, 鈥淏rukina鈥�, to the forefront of a public narrative and make the findings accessible to readers in plain language, is very admirable. Your interactive feature titled: 鈥淏rukina: A nutritious food contaminated with E. coli鈥�, provided context to a critical health issue.鈥�
It added: 鈥淵our analysis of the available data from researchers of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the University of Ghana on 鈥淏urkina鈥�, brought your story down from the scientific space to the level of the ordinary reader. The research findings detected unacceptable levels of the bacteria, Escherichia coli, in almost all the samples examined.听 The millet used to prepare the drink also contained unacceptable levels of aflatoxins that can cause cancer.
The citation, signed by Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, GJA President, continued: 鈥淵our own investigation also revealed that all the products on the market lacked FDA approval. You were on the ground to witness how the smoothie is produced. That, together with the available scientific data, provided essential public health information that can save lives. For this exceptional journalistic work done, even as a student, the Ghana Journalists Association proudly honours you with the Best Student Journalist of the Year Award. CONGRATULATIONS!鈥�
The event had the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Ms. Jean Mensa as the guest speaker.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC