Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has showered praises on staff of Myjoyonline.com for what he says is the New Media outlet’s commendable performance. During a familiarization tour of the offices of Myjoyonline.com on Wednesday, the deputy minister commended the group for breaking new grounds and for providing a reliable, up-to-date news and information portal. “There is not a single day that I do not visit Myjoyonline. In the office, on my phone, I am on it every day. …The site is interactive, has a great layout and is user friendly,” he praised. He was in the company of other officials of the ministry, including the Media Liaison Officer, Mrs Evelyn Anthony and journalists. Concerned though about the level of ‘intolerance’ by way of readers' comments posted in reaction to stories, he said he preferred such the situation to a “closed society” where people are not allowed to voice their opinions. Such interactive opportunities, he explained, are not only at the heart of and enhance the frontiers of a pluralistic media society, they also go a long way to consolidate the country’s democracy and serve as a booster for national security, explaining that a society denied such opportunities could resort to rather undesirable means to seek redress. He said the future of the media lies in the New Media, and was gratified that an indigenous organization has set out on the right path and gunning to compete favourably on the global front. The deputy minister was particularly happy to see “a youthful” team in charge of Myjoyonline.com and commended the Multimedia Group for giving the youth the opportunity to prove their worth and provide assurance for the future. Relating the development to the period immediately following his own appointment as a deputy minister, Samuel Ablakwa recalled comments to the effect that he was a “toddler” who should not speak where adults gather, but said the surest way to the future is to give the youth the opportunity, direction and support. Asked to assess the ministry’s recent innovative initiative to interact with Ghanaians particularly those in the diaspora on Facebook, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed satisfaction, saying the impact has been phenomenal. He currently has about 5,000 friends, and he reaches out to Ghanaians of diverse backgrounds and political persuasions, including some who profile themselves as ardent opponents of the ruling government. The same applies to his colleague deputy minister, James Agyenim Boateng, and the substantive minister, Zita Okaikoi. He explained that the initiative has been so beneficial and the impact very profound, saying it has provided variety and added to the mix of frontiers for interfacing with Ghanaians and others needing information from official government sources. “It has also showed that Ghana has a very large intellectual community out there who is hungry for information and seeks urgent responses to issues of national development.” Editor of Myjoyonline.com Isaac Yeboah described the visit as historic, explaining that it is the first official ‘governmental’ interaction with the brains and hands behind the website. He said it was also important the government took the new media frontiers very seriously, seeing that it is the future of the media globally. Taking the deputy minister and his entourage through the group’s daily routine, Mr. Yeboah expressed concern about the cost of internet services in Ghana and urged the minister to use his good offices to liaise with the communication ministry on how the nation can reduce the cost and improve internet usage in the country. He also urged a relook at some of the country’s media laws, particularly regarding the protection of journalists from prosecution arising from the contents of editorials and how they relate to players in the new media. The Assistant Manager, IT & Digital Media at Multimedia, Stephen Agyei-Jantuah also appealed to the Information Ministry to join forces with others urging further improvement in internet reliability in the country. Myjoyonline.com/Ghana