Kweku Baako 'On Bended Knee'…Renders Apology

Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako, has assumed culpability as head of the entity by rendering apologies to the general public for the gross error contained in Wednesday, November 15th, edition of the newspaper regarding flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo’s meeting with UK Prime Minister, David Cameron.

The New Crusading Guide on Wednesday, published under a screaming headline: “UK Government confirms Nana Addo Cameron Meeting…As It Captures NPP Press Release On Its Official Website” with detailed list of websites the paper claims belongs to the UK government reporting of the NPP flagbearer’s much-talked about meeting with David Cameron.

Unsurprisingly, the seasoned journalist was subjected to some scathing verbal attacks by pro-NDC newspapers and communicators from the ruling party after it turned out there were inaccuracies in the publication and website was privately owned. He was accused of showing a clean pair of heels, much swifter than that of Usain Bolt, and also for deliberately going incommunicado when some media houses tried to reach him for a reaction.

But Malik Baako insists he would not deliberately propagate falsehood just to see the NPP flagbearer become president because his (Baako’s) life is not premised on who rules the country, adding that “be it a military or civilian administration, I have the capacity to live a normal life just as any other Ghanaian.”

Contributing to discussions on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning show, Kweku Baako sincerely apologized for the erroneous information churned out by his newspaper.

“My own checks indicate clearly that the story that my staff did to the extent that (Nana Addo’s meeting with Cameron) is captured on the UK government’s official website…they got it wrong. It is not the official government website so that is an error committed by the paper that I own and publish and I take full responsibility for this error and for that matter I render apologies to our readers and all those who may have been deceived by it,” he said rather contritely.

Kweku Baako stressed that as the substantive Editor-In-Chief, he accepts full responsibility for any error or potentially damaging article or report published by the newspaper.

“I am still the substantive Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide so I take full responsibility for whatever is published in the paper especially when things go wrong. Leadership demands that I don’t run away from my duties or let my boys take the fall for any backlash arising out of an inaccurate publication, so I accept full responsibility…With regards to the story that was published by my newspaper, I accept full responsibility…; the paper got it wrong and I am entirely responsible for it. I don’t think my boys ought to be blamed, even though they emailed the story to me in the evening. If I had exercised a little discretion and been a bit more vigilant; it wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

He however rejected claims that he deliberately went incommunicado yesterday out of shame, and explained that he was engaged in a very serious meeting which lasted some three (3) hours. According to him, his mobile phones, which he left in his car were on silent and only realized after the meeting had ended that he had missed calls from some radio stations.

Interestingly, he openly welcomed the harsh criticisms and invectives directed at him by some members of the NDC saying, “they are entitled to their opinions, I am a journalist and I criticize people most of the time so I am a legitimate target for criticism, exposure, even insults. They’ve done it over and over again so it’s no big deal at all, they are entitled to run riot and say anything they want to say about me”.