The Director-General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Wednesday asked media practitioners not to be swayed by press freedom to pursue their commercialised interest to the detriment of their social role as development facilitators.

Mr Seth Agoe Adjetey, Director-General, who was addressing a press conference in Accra to deny media reports about administrative malfeasance against the GBC said; "excesses by a section of the media is creating doubts and controversy especially about awards of contracts".

The Director-General flanked by heads of departments, said series of stories with headings such as: " GBC to lay-off 1,000 workers" and "Tension mounts at GBC" imputed irregularities in a contract between GBC and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over the establishment of a monitoring zone in Ghana.

Mr Adjetey said such stories were unpleasant and unprofessional since the publishers decided to attack personalities without cross checking their facts with them. He said the corporation was currently benefiting from the contract with the BBC by way of news compilation, staff training, provision of equipment and the commercialisation drive of the management.

"BBC has nothing to benefit by paying bribes to GBC as alleged by the various publications," he declared. Meanwhile, Mr Adjetey has disclosed that the Management of GBC has protested to the Ethics Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association as well as the National Media Commission, about such publications.

He asked Journalists to be mindful of the strategic importance of the GBC in the area of security and dissemination of news by desisting from such reports.