…As Egbert Faibille, His Counsel, Hints Of Action Against ‘Crusading GUIDE’ & ‘Daily GUIDE’!

The State-owned “Daily Graphic” is to apologise to Mr. Alfred Obamey, Managing Editor of an Accra-based private newspaper, “Gye Nyame Concord”, for publishing an advert containing injurious allusions to the image of Mr. Ogbamey.

According to a press release signed by Paul Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), the Commission after examining the evidence before it, in the complaint brought by Mr. Ogbamey against the “Daily Graphic”, “is of the view that parts of the publication complained of were injurious to the image of Mr. Ogbamey, the complainant, and therefore directs Graphic to apologise to Alfred Ogbamey and retract the press release in as far as it adversely affected Mr. Ogbamey”.

The paper was directed to carry out the directives “within 14 days from the date of its issuance”.

According to the release, Mr. Ogbamey complained to the NMC that the “Daily Graphic” had carried in its issue of Thursday, December 7, 2006, an advertiser’s announcement attributed to the Director General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) which was injurious to his image and reputation.

Lawyer Egbert Faibille Jnr., counsel for Alfred Ogbamey in an interview with The Crusading GUIDE yesterday, described the NMC ruling as “a victory for press freedom and ethical journalism”.

Mr. Faibille Jnr. said it was wrong for media houses to receive money under the guise of an advert and then publish defamatory materials against innocent people.

Egbert Faibille, Managing Editor of The Ghanaian Observer said his client within a matter of days will drag the Director General of the GPHA, who was apparently the author of the said material to the NMC for him to substantiate the allegations leveled against the personality of Mr. Ogbamey.

When asked about two other papers which carried the said advert, Lawyer Faibille said:

“I am calling on The Crusading GUIDE and The Daily GUIDE to be guided accordingly that within a matter of one week they should be minded to do the same as The Daily Graphic has been ordered to do. If they fail to do that, we will have no other option than to drag them to the Media Commission”.