Check Influx Of Fake Goods - Media Urged

THE media have been asked to help in curbing the influx of fake manufactured products.
Charles Cofie, Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Ghana Limited made the appeal when the company hosted members of the Ghana Journalists Association at the company’s annual get-together for the media at the International Press Centre in Accra on Friday.
Charles Cofie, Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Ghana Limited made the appeal when the company hosted members of the Ghana Journalists Association at the company’s annual get-together for the media at the International Press Centre in Accra on Friday.He said that Unilever’s crusade against the production of fake brands of its products has led to the apprehension of an importer who had been bringing into the country fake Close-up toothpaste supposedly produced by Unilever in India and La Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr. Cofie said that the battle against counterfeiting and smuggling is in the interest of local manufacturers and the unsuspecting customers who buy these products.
'Chasing out the miscreants, for you in the media, will be one of the busiest in your profession for 2007 as we stand at the threshold of our beloved country’s 50 years of freedom from colonial rule. The public is going to rely on you to feed us with information, and that includes updates on the build-up, as well as each and every activity happening in every corner of Ghana,' he added.
Ransford Tetteh, president of the GJA, said although Ghanaians always want the media to hold public office holders accountable for their actions, their support for the media is minimal.
He said to enable the media play their watchdog role and to discharge their duties professionally, there is the need for the business community support the media with advertisements in order to sustain freedom of expression and of the press.
Mr. Tetteh said that media pluralism can only be guaranteed if advertising revenue is spread and not skewed in favour of a few media organisations.
He however challenged the media to re-brand and re-position themselves in this competitive environment to attract the business community support their publications.
The GJA president noted that the media have so far performed creditably and although some breaches of ethical standards have been a source of worry but 'these could only be part of the process of a growing democracy.'
He said 'some commentators have also labeled the media differently depending on which side of the political divide they belong to. But the diversity is a healthy development in a democracy.'