Accra, Nov. 1, GNA - Mr Fritz Baffour, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, on Monday cautioned the media to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility in their reportage to preserve the relative peace and tranquillity in the country.

He noted that a true sense of national identity, which is necessary to foster unity among the citizenry, hinged on a professional and responsible media.

Mr Baffour said this at a meeting which was organised by the National Media Commission (NMC) in Accra to welcome a seven-member Kenyan visiting delegation.

The delegation from the Broadcasting Content Advisory Council (BCAC) of the Communications Commission is in the country to learn from Ghana's success story on the media landscape.

Mr Baffour stressed that the peace and national cohesion in the country could not be taken for granted and cautioned media practitioners to avoid the occasional excesses to preserve peace and tranquillity. Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, Chairman of the NMC, reiterated the call by President John Evans Atta Mills on the media to be guided by their conscience in the publication of materials.

Mr Blay Amihere expressed disquiet over the recent spate of insults and vulgarity in the media, a situation which prompted the reaction of the President.

President Mills, while commissioning the refurbished 10.4-kilometre Accra-Tema railway line on October 28, 2010, cautioned that insults would not help the national development process.

The nation has in recent weeks been hit by insults in the media by personalities from the various political persuasions, with the mass media spending chunks of airtime and pages discussing the offensive language.

Mr Mitch Odero, Chairman of the BCAC, lauded Ghana for its vibrant press, adding that African countries had a lot to learn from the country's successes, especially in the media landscape.

"Ghana has gone through a lot and has survived, making it a shining example for many to learn from. It has a lot to share," he said. He praised the country for having survived several coups d'etats, adding that Ghana sold the idea of freedom from colonialism and African unity at a time when many colonised African countries made feeble attempts to gain freedom.

Mr Odero said Kenya had migrated from analogue to digital broadcasting and projected that there would be a major media revolution by 2011.

He expressed the hope that the present 16 television stations in Kenya would double with the number of FM stations appreciating from 70 to 300.