NDC Youth demands fair coverage from GTV

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Wednesday criticised the management of Ghana Television (GTV) for its persistent refusal to give equal access and time to the party to disseminate its views on matters of national interest.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Iddrisu Haruna, National Youth Organiser of the party, said: "The NDC Youth Wing reminds the GTV management and indeed the entire management of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation that as a state media, it has a duty to promote the dissemination of alternative views."

It described GTV's refusal to cover an NDC press conference on 16 January 2003, which addressed the fuel price increases, among other issues, as flagrant violation of the Supreme Court ruling of 1993. "The NDC has had the occasion to protest against this state of affairs, only to be told by the GTV management that the Party's view and messages could not be aired since Ghana is currently in a political off-season.''

"Whatever that means, it was a laughable excuse that underlines the political bias of the GTV management. This bias is so deep that it even reflects in the lop-sided selection of panellists for GTV programmes, especially Breakfast Show, where known pro-government commentators are carefully handpicked to run down the NDC on every single issue raised," the statement added.

"It is our submission that the refusal by GTV to grant the Party time and access is a flagrant violation of the Supreme Court ruling of 1993, which held that the state-owned media has a duty to present to the citizenry divergent viewpoints, so that the citizens can make informed decisions."

It drew attention of GTV to what Nana Akufo-Addo, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice said once when he quoted Justice A.C. Francois, a former Supreme Court Judge in the case of NPP vs GBC saying, "if (the state media) fails in its duty and proceeds further to deny the articulation of alternative views, its transgression becomes two-fold since as a state-owned media and contrary to what is expressly required of it by the constitution, it has refused to feed the citizenry with all the facts and has mischievously denied the citizens knowledge.."

It said the pronouncement in 1993 compelled GBC to grant equal time, space and access to all parties. The statement urged GTV management to uphold the professional integrity of GBC and guard against being used as a propaganda organ of the ruling NPP.

"In this regards, the GBC should endeavour to give equal opportunity to Ghanaians with different political views, to publicly assess the performance of the NPP government without fear of been sanctioned or harassed by the powers that be."