General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, has condemned the National Media Commission’s approach in handling the matter involving Onua TV/FM.
Nana Jantuah says the Commission has gone beyond their regulatory role to indulge in personal attacks which appears political.
Speaking on TV3’s NewDay Thursday, November 30, 2023, the former Director of Public Affairs of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) said the NMC’s singling out of Captain Smart in their letter takes their move beyond their role and smacks political intimidation.
Her comments were in connection with a threat by the National Media Commission to have the frequency authorization of Onua TV/FM suspended.
Article 167 of the 1992 Constitution prescribes the Commission’s functions to include; “to promote and ensure the freedom and independence of the media for mass communication or information and to insulate the state-owned media from governmental control.”
But according to Nana Jantuah, the Commission stepped beyond its boundaries for mentioning one person in their letter.
“And now they used the word journalist’s so it means they are now referring to one person and it’s become personalized. Captain Smart, so then it goes beyond doing their regulatory work. It is about one person. They’ve actually mentioned his name. So, this one is an attack on a personality and it looks very political,” she indicated.
The trained journalist said the NMC should have rather waited for the persons who were supposedly attacked in the said broadcast to make a report to them before initiating any measures after conducting investigations.
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On Tuesday 14 November 2023, Media General received a letter from the NMC which was wrongly directed. The letter complained of a broadcast simultaneously carried by Onua FM and Onua TV. In the same letter the NMC imposed sanctions on the two stations without asking for their side of the story.
In response to the letter, the Company drew the attention of the Executive Secretary George Sarpong, to the error and also stated that the stations should be given an opportunity to be heard as is required by the procedures of the National Media Commission’s own Complaints Settlement Committee. But Mr George Sarpong has refused to give the stations the opportunity to be heard and has also not named any complainant.
Meanwhile he has threatened to have the frequency authorisations of the two stations suspended among other illegal actions.
Media General finds the actions and posture of the Executive Secretary arbitrary, unconstitutional and against the principles of natural justice and, therefore, filed a case in court to stop the Commission from further harassing the two stations. The Company states in the suit that the Media Commission by its actions has constituted itself into a complainant, a prosecutor and a judge in complaint and from its actions cannot now be trusted to be a fair and impartial arbiter in any case against OnuaTV/OnuaFM.
The NMC Executive Secretary without any complaints or invitation to OnuaTV/OnuaFM decided to be the complainant and the prosecutor and the Judge and passed a judgement. The Media General Group’s Board vehemently rejected the NMC’s actions in letters to NMC dated 21st November 2023 and 27th November 2023 (attached).
In reaction, the Executive Secretary said he was going to have the frequencies of the two stations suspended and also secretly wrote to the Advertisers Association of Ghana on this veiled threat.
It must be made clear that the NMC does not have the power to influence editors nor to suspend frequencies of media houses. If this is allowed to happen it will be a serious threat to media operations in the country as the Commission can take steps to arbitrarily withdraw any broadcaster’s authorization without giving them a hearing if the Executive Secretary in his personal view does not like one presenter or the other to be on air.
If this behavior is allowed, it could destroy the business of media houses by getting advertisers to stop advertising on their media just because the Executive Secretary with Political views does not like a media house or a presenter especially in election seasons.
As a leading Media company, Media General and its subsidiaries Onua TV and Onua FM are ready to cooperate with the National Media Commission to achieve the highest standards in media practice. But it will not allow itself to be intimidated and shall take all steps to protect its business and editorial independence, including actions from the National Media Commission, which appear to be politically motivated.
We have accordingly initiated the legal action against NMC to prevent them from these illegal and frankly unconstitutional activities. We urge media houses and members of the public to rise up against this blatant abuse of office else we lose the democracy and the right to free speech for good.
Signed
Head, Corporate Communications Department, OnuaTV/OnuaFM
READ ALSO: We suspect NMC wants to interfere in editorial independence of our stations – Onua TV/FM Board
