GBC to investigate libelous statements against President

The Management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation says it will set up a five-member committee to investigate an incident on GTV’s breakfast show in which a newspaper commentator Felix Odartey Wellington was last week taken into custody and interrogated by the security agents.

According to the Director General of the GBC, Seth Ago Adettey management is taking the initiative in line with its statutory role of credibility and standards. The committee would determine whether the corporation erred or whether some panelists deviated from the Ghana Journalists Association’s code of ethics as well as principles and guidelines of the GBC regarding political coverage. The findings of the committee would guide the Corporation operations in the future.

The Director General noted that the apology by Gifty Anti, a presenter on the breakfast show yesterday, was at the presenter level and did not represent the position of management.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Bar Association has expressed concern about the use of officials of the Bureau of National Investigations in the arrest and questioning of the journalists instead of the Ghana police.

A statement signed by the President Ebow Quarshie noted in particular the arrests of journalists and editors for their editorial opinions despite the constitutional guarantees for them.

The GBA says the recent military exercises and movement of troops can create fear, panic and intimidation amongst voters and the entire populace during the forth- coming elections. It therefore asked all persons involved in events to the run up of the December elections to be vigilant.

The GBA also called on the media to be seen to be fair in their coverage of political parties considering the recent media survey in which the ruling NDC got 70 per cent compared to other political parties