Spio-Garbrah protests against Statesman's story.

Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chairman, Communication and Media Committee of the Mills Campaign Team on Tuesday protested against a newspaper story that described Prof John Atta Mills, former Vice President, as a "Poodle."

A statement by Mr Spio-Garbrah said the article had the prospects of causing immense global harm to the hard earned reputation of Prof Mills now standing for election as the National Democratic Congress presidential candidate for the 2004 elections.

Accordingly, it requested the Media Commission to prevail upon the Statesman to retract the story with the banner "Why Mills is a Poodle." Furthermore, the paper should render an unqualified apology to the former Vice President and to his supporters and to anyone else offended by the article with the same front-page headline prominence as in the offending article.

The statement said the newspaper must commit itself to the avoidance of any future recurrence of such unprofessional misconduct against Prof. Mills and his political campaign.

It said the paper should accept to publish in full any rejoinder on the main issues addressed in the latter part of the article on the back page of the same issue with same degree of prominence as in the offending article.

"It has been the oft-expressed hope of Prof. Mills that political campaign in Ghana can be waged with decency and civility." In this regard it called on the Media Commission to instil "this sense of professionalism amongst journalists.... and to enforce civility amongst the few journalists who seem unable or unwilling to maintain high journalistic standards."

The Statement invited the Ghana Journalist Association and all groups concerned about good governance to condemn "this unwarranted attack on the person and personality of the former Vice President.''