The Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Professor Amin Alhassan, has dispel the misconception that the GBC is only committed to the government of the day.
According to him, the National Media Commission has since 1992 created several safeguards policies and that insulate GBC from political interference from any government that is in power.
“GBC is therefore obliged to demonstrate its neutrality in all political matters as such does not take instructions from government or the opposition political parties,” he added.
Prof. Alhassan made these remarks at the launch of GBC’s political Broadcast Guidelines for election 2024.
Under the guidelines, the GBC shall give the political and candidates fair and equal equitable opportunity to inform and educate the public about their programmes.
Additionally, it will offer the public the best possible opportunity to make informed decisions about the political parties and candidates towards strengthening democratic culture in the country.
The policy documents shall apply to political Broadcasts or election at all its network nationwide during campaign activities when the election year opens, explaining that the state entity would use its editorial discretion to cover for news and programmes that are honest, ac
curate and fair as well as distinguish between opinion and facts in its coverage of such events.
To ensure neutrality, it shall make available to all registered political parties advertising space rates without favour in order to avoid public perception of impartiality while the rates terms and condition for advertising and transmission facilities shall be the same for all political parties.
The Political Broadcast Complaints and Monitoring Committee shall periodically meet to vet advertisements candidates and their support groups to ensure that the contents are in line with GBC’s broadcasting rules.
Official languages to be used at the headquarters include Ga Dangme, Nze
Ma, Dagbani, Hausa, Ewe, Akan, English and Guan while the several languages would be used in the Regions.
Prof. Alhassan observed that the ruling government usually had more time just because it played a dual role of government business and at the same time campaigning for political power this should not mean “GBC is in bed with the government, such comments are demoralising as the entity cannot do anything about it, they are a exhibiting marks of innocence or incompetence.”
He appealed to the political parties to channel all complainants to his office for redress.
The Chair of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, said the current tagging of GBC was unfortunate because as a nation we had failed to distinguish between what was political in nature.
Ghana, he explained, was the only country we had political parties that must endeavour to carry out their activities responsibly, because, “what will they gain in destroying others?” he asked.
“GBCs obligation is not to one person of the entire country because it’s the states obligation to provide the GBC with equipment instead of establishing new stations.”
Mr Ayeboafo further charged political parties to be mindful of their language in order not to plunge the country into chaos.
