President blames politicians for media tensions

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday blamed politicians inflaming tensions in the media by producing concocted stories and falsehood designed to discredit their political opponents.

“The Ghana Journalist Association and the Private Newspapers Association of Ghana have the responsibility to step up surveillance by imposing self-regulation on Practitioners to strictly adhere to the rule of the game,” President Mahama said.

He was contributing to the question on media regulation in the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential debate that featured the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, Convention Peoples Party and People National Convention.

The first Presidential debate was held in Tamale a month ago and this debate was the second and final one leading to the forthcoming December polls.

President Mahama said although the media had performed tremendously well in the country, there was the need for self-regulation for them to desist from deliberate concoction of stories and falsehood.

He said it was in that line of building the capacity of Journalists that motivated the NDC government to provide the media with GH¢2million to train and re-equip media houses and their personnel to become abreast with modern trends of communication.

The President appealed to Journalists to be circumspect and stay away from rumors.

Source: GNA