Media cautioned against intimidating the Supreme Court

Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), said the Supreme Court (SC) must be allowed to perform its historic duty without any threats and intimidation from the media.

He reminded the media of the responsibility to preserve the unity and peace of the nation through unbiased reportage, adding that the 2012 Election petition pending at the SC requires unbiased coverage of proceedings in such a manner that does not make the media judges in a matter that could only be determined by the court.

Mr Blay-Amihere made the call at a public forum organized by the Centre for Democratic Development – Ghana, in collaboration with the Media Foundation for West Africa and the NMC in Accra on Tuesday.

He warned the media to desist from allowing their platforms to be used by others to generate tensions and false expectations about the outcome of the petition before the SC.

“It is our hope that the Ghanaian media in their role as reporters and gatekeepers will pass the test of objectivity, accuracy and truthfulness in this trying times’’,  Mr Blay-Amihere stated.

He said the only way to guarantee free press and free speech was through responsible journalism and obeying the code of ethics of journalisms.

“When it comes to matters before the courts, the golden rule is to report faithfully what transpires at the courts without comments that have the potential to prejudice the case or judge the case,”   Mr Blay-Amihere said.

Source: GNA