<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation" hidden>[2015]DLNMC6257</p> <div class="restriction-wrapper"> <div class="container-lg"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12 restricted-content"> <div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper"> <div class="lock-icon bounce-7"> <img class="" src="https://dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png" alt="Subscription based content"> </div> </div> <a href="https://dennislawgh.com/login" class="btn btn-primary btn-lg" style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> Login to Read Full Case </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B050">VICE PRESIDENT KWESI BEKOE AMISSAH ARTHUR<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B050">VS.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B050">PEACE FM ON LINE & ABEIKU SANTANA OF OKAY FM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="None"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">[NATIONAL MEDIA COMMISSION]</span></b></span><span class="None"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(2015) NMC DLR 002 DATE: 18<sup>TH</sup> JUNE 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DECISION GIVEN BY: <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">AMBASSADOR KABRAL BLAY-AMIHERE (CHAIRMAN NMC)<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt; padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 0in 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes"> <p class="BodyA" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 0in 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes"><span class="None"><b><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD">DECISION</span></b></span><span class="None"><span lang="DE" style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">His Excellency, The Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur acting through his Lawyers Bram -Larbi, Beecham & Co complained of a false story posted on Peacefmonline on April 1 2015 captioned "CAUGHT IN THE ACT!!! VICE PREZ AMISSAH ARTHUR SPOTTED KISSING LOVER IN A NEW YORK APARTMENT" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">"and an assertion made by one Abeiku Santana on Okay FM in the afternoon on the same day stating that the VICE PRESIDENT HAS DIED".</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The complainant asserted that "the stories purported to be true episodes in the life of their client, but in actual fact (constituted) a bitter, unpleasant and unjustifiable attack on the person of their client. They further viewed the allegations as defamatory to their client". <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">In their response to both complaints, the Management of Peacefmonline.com and Okay FM stated that the publication and assertion which were carried out on April 1 2015 (ALL FOOL'S or APRIL FOOL'S DAY) was meant as a satirical piece with no malice intended. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The two stations (Peacefmonline.com and Okay FM) have therefore agreed to apologize to HE The Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur for both stories and have subsequently removed the offending article from their website. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The NMC wishes to use this occasion to remind the media about their sacred duty whilst they exercise their right to report the news to equally respect the rights of all citizens to fair coverage and comment and further advises the Ghanaian media to be guided at all times by the Codes of conduct of the Ghana Journalist Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association and the various National Media Commission Guidelines. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p></span></main>
