Ghana commemorates World Press Freedom Day

Accra, May 3, GNA - Ghana on Thursday joined the international community to commemorated World Press Freedom Day on the theme: "Media Freedom has the Power to Transform Societies.”

Mr Kabral Blay-Amehere, Chairman, National Media Commission, commended media practitioners in the country for their contribution towards national development, and the deepening of democracy.

He, however, expressed displeasure about recent negative media publicity concerning politicians, who exploit the airwaves for their selfish ambitions.

Mr Blay-Amehere urged media practitioners to be circumspect in their reportage, especially during electioneering, to ensure peace in Election 2012.

The commemoration was marked with the hoisting of flags of Ghana, the United Nations and the Ghana Journalist Association, in Accra.

The Deputy Minister of Information, Mr James Agyenim Boateng, members of the diplomatic corps, media practitioners civil society organizations participated in the event.

Other institution, which participated, were National Communications Authority, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Private Newspapers Association of Ghana, Editors Forum, Blogging Ghana, and the Coalition for Transparency of the Airwaves (COTA).

The event was however, interrupted by a procession of COTA members holding placards with inscriptions such as "Community Radio, tool for development; The airwaves, a public resource; COTA transparency walk, we feel gagged and Allocate Frequencies Fairly."

The members gagged their mouths with pieces of orange bands to dramatize the lack of transparency in the allocation of frequencies and the long delay in the award of frequencies, to genuine community radio applicants.

Their basic message was that the voices of communities were being silenced.

GNA