The National Media Commission (NMC) has praised the media for showing solidarity towards the fight against coronavirus through its reportage.

It has however asked practitioners to maintain balance in their news items by relying on official sources for accurate information on the pandemic so as not to downplay its gravity.

General Secretary of the NMC, Mr. George Sarpong, in a statement issued in Accra yesterday noted that while the media may be concerned about reducing anxiety among the public on the disease, “jokes”, must not be entertained.

“In the legitimate attempt to reduce public anxiety and provide hope in this moment of disquiet, some media have resorted to making jokes about the disease.

“While humor may have its place in reducing anxieties in moments of national stress, it also carries the risk of minimizing the sense of urgency and possibly leading to complacency in public response,” he warned.

The Commission, therefore, reminded “the media that in a situation like this, the balance still remains our greatest professional virtue and the best way to achieve that is to rely on the official sources for accurate information.”

Ghana has so far recorded 16 cases of coronavirus.