Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Professor Amin Alhassan, has explained that the state broadcaster gives priority to government programmes because it is mandated by the Constitution to do so.
He said this during a courtesy call on GBC Management by the leadership of the People’s National Convention (PNC).
Prof. Alhassan noted that some members of the public often mistake this constitutional duty for political bias.
He, however, stressed that while GBC gives priority to government communication, it treats all political parties equally when it comes to party-related activities.
“Sometimes people mistake another mandate of ours for bias. Whilst we are mandated to be transparent and treat all political parties equally, we also have the primary responsibility to prioritize government programming,” he explained.
He clarified that there is a difference between government communication and party communication.
“Government communication is given priority because the government has a mandate to govern. But when it comes to party communication, we give all political parties the same treatment,” he said.
Prof. Alhassan also recalled that in 1993, a political party once sued GBC and won a case over unfair coverage, which served as an important lesson for the broadcaster.
“Since that judgment, we have never gone against the law. We have learned from it and continue to ensure fairness in our coverage,” he added.
By Jacob Aggrey
