ModernGhana.com has rejected what it describes as a misleading and deeply troubling press statement issued by the National Media Commission (NMC) on Friday, November 27, 2025, accusing the regulator of misrepresenting facts, resurrecting a dead issue, and acting in a manner inconsistent with its own mandate.
The online news platform said the NMC’s conduct—spanning nearly a year—shows a pattern of selective engagement, procedural irregularities, and an unexplainable willingness to act as an extension of a complainant even after the parties had long resolved the matter amicably.
In a strongly worded response, ModernGhana.com stated that the NMC’s release not only distorts events but also attempts to smear a platform that has upheld journalistic standards for nearly two decades.
The outlet said it is compelled to set the record straight and chronologically outline how the Commission mishandled the issue from the beginning.
A fully resolved issue suddenly returns
According to ModernGhana.com, the matter dates back to January 2025, when Adamus Resources Limited approached the news outlet—through a senior journalist acting as the company’s representative—to request the removal of a story from the website.
At the time, the representative claimed that Adamus had lodged a complaint with the NMC, but that he preferred to resolve the matter “in a friendly manner” rather than pursue litigation or a formal dispute.
Editor Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri informed the representative that neither Adamus Resources nor the NMC had formally contacted ModernGhana.com directly about any complaint.
Despite this irregular approach and after explaining the grounds required for a story to be taken down, the Editor agreed—purely as an act of goodwill and principle—to have the story removed on January 29, 2025.
The representative thanked the website and left “smiling and giggling,” signalling the matter had been brought to a definitive close.
Eight months of silence
ModernGhana.com said the issue resurfaced unexpectedly on August 27, 2025, when the NMC formally served the platform with a complaint letter from Adamus Resources Limited—eight months after the matter had been resolved between the parties.
The NMC invited the Editor to a settlement meeting scheduled for September 3, 2025, asking him to appear with documents and evidence relating to the now-resolved complaint.
A soft copy of the complaint was sent via WhatsApp, followed by a phone call from Deputy Executive Secretary of the NMC, Alexander Bannerman.
The Editor informed Mr. Bannerman that the subject of the complaint had already been settled in January. Despite this, Mr. Bannerman reportedly insisted repeatedly—over several days—that the platform must still attend the meeting, though without providing a compelling justification.
Eventually, after further pressure, including a joint conference call with Adamus Resources Limited during which the mining firm confirmed that the January matter had indeed been resolved, ModernGhana.com agreed to attend out of respect for the NMC.
A meeting that mysteriously shifted into a tribunal
The meeting on September 3 proved even more unusual. ModernGhana.com says the story that formed the basis of the original complaint was never even mentioned.
Instead, an Adamus Resources officer raised a completely different story—one published by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and republished by ModernGhana.com.com—concerning shareholders rejecting the reappointment of the company’s CEO, Angela List.
ModernGhana.com explained that the story was curated directly from GNA, met all editorial requirements, and that as the originating news agency, GNA bore first responsibility for the content’s accuracy.
The NMC, however, allegedly abandoned the original purpose of the meeting and instead ruled on this new story, reprimanding ModernGhana.com and accusing GNA of breaching journalistic ethics.
The platform said it strongly objected to these claims and maintained its position that no code had been violated.
The meeting ended tensely but without any directive for the website to retract or apologise.
Contacts were exchanged, and the discussion was treated as an informal engagement—not a formal adjudication.
3 months later, a shock public “ruling”
On November 28, 2025, ModernGhana.com said it was stunned to discover that the NMC had issued a public statement falsely implying that the meeting resulted in a directive for ModernGhana.com to delete the story and apologise to Adamus Resources Limited.
No such directive was given, the platform insists, and no ruling was communicated to them after the meeting.
More troubling, ModernGhana.com notes, is that the story at the centre of the NMC’s new claims remains published—not only on ModernGhana.com but on the website of GNA, the original publisher.
“On what basis is ModernGhana.com being instructed to apologise?” the platform questioned.
“For a matter resolved eight months ago? Or for a new allegation raised informally in a meeting that was supposed to be cordial? And why single out ModernGhana.com when GNA still carries the same story?”
Flaws, contradictions and unanswered questions
ModernGhana.com criticised the NMC for a series of procedural and ethical inconsistencies:
- resurrecting a matter already mutually resolved in January;
- failing to notify ModernGhana.com formally of any new complaint;
- convening a meeting under false pretence of cordiality only to turn it adversarial;
- making pronouncements on a story that was not the subject of the official complaint;
- failing to give ModernGhana.com an opportunity to prepare, respond, or submit evidence;
- issuing a public “judgment” months later that contradicts the nature and outcome of the meeting;
- and ignoring the fact that the story in question still appears on GNA’s platform.
“These actions raise serious questions about the NMC’s neutrality, intentions, and fidelity to fairness,” the platform said.
“Why did the Commission act as though it were prosecuting a case long settled? Whose interests was it serving? And why issue a public condemnation without due process?”
ModernGhana.com stands firm
The platform reaffirmed its commitment to editorial integrity, transparency, and responsible journalism, insisting that it would not allow its reputation to be tarnished through “procedural ambushes, distorted narratives, and inconsistent public pronouncements.”
ModernGhana.com called on the NMC to explain its motives, justify its actions, and restore public confidence in its mandate to protect—not undermine—media freedom.
“Until then,” the statement concluded, “we reject entirely the NMC’s attempt to rewrite the facts and impose a manufactured narrative on a matter that was resolved long ago.
