An eight-member Media Advisory Committee has been inaugurated by the National Media Commission (NMC) in the Central Region to assist the Commission to monitor media houses in the Region to operate up to standard.
The committee, chaired by Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast (UCC), is to serve a two-year term with the mandate to help settle complaints by and or against the media.
They would also address all issues related to the media in the region.
The members of the committee include Mrs. Alice Tettey, the Regional Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mrs. Doris Ashun, an Educationist and Women’s advocate, and Mr. Anthony Vincent Ananse, a language expert.
Others are Mr. Isaac Oscar Odoom, an Economist, author and lay preacher; Mr. John K. A. Simpson, a Former Headmaster of Mfantsipim School, Mr. Joseph Connel of St. Augustine’s College and Mr. Ato Duncan, Chairman of the Regional Civil Society Coalition.
The Central Region’s Committee brings to five the number of such bodies following those inaugurated in the Ashanti, Northern, Upper East and Volta regions.
Mr Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, the Chairman of the NMC, inaugurating the committee, said it was its responsibility to ensure that the media lived up to its crucial role and responsibilities to ensure peace before, during and after the elections.
The inauguration, he said, therefore, came at a time the Commission needed to re-focus its energies on its core mandates, especially as the 2016 General Election drew closer.
He said the NMC was hopeful that the media would rise to the occasion and help confirm to the world that Ghana’s democracy had matured.
Speaking on the Content Standard Authorisation Law being challenged by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) at the Supreme Court, Mr Gyan-Apenteng expressed optimism that the judgement would clear the path for its implementation.
He said the Court case had even created much awareness on the law and helped modify behaviour and strengthened the creation as well as dissemination of content.
“The media should to be alive to their call to exercise freedom with responsibility and abide by the rules and regulations of media practice and make conscious efforts to follow the ethical precepts in the election period,” he said.
“We live in a country whose media is largely free to publish what they want without let or hindrance. We cannot take this freedom for granted and we cannot allow it to be abused”.
Mr Gyan-Apenteng, therefore, called for support for the Committee.
Mr. Simpson, who served as the interim chairman, expressed gratitude to the NMC for the confidence reposed in them and pledged on behalf of the other members to work assiduously to achieve their objectives.
STAR-Ghana sponsored the NMC for the inauguration.
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