Media General, owners and operators of TV3 and its affiliates, has eaten the humble pie over their infamous publication of what many described as anti-religious and unethical cartoon, which portrayed H.E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a Muslim by day and a Christian by night, because of his frequent visitations to churches.
The said publication subtly sought to give credence to the widely condemned religious bigotry of Hon Sam Nartey George, who had remarked on live tv that, Dr. Bawumia, the NPP flag bearer, is confused about his faith, and that, he is “a Muslim by day and a Christian by night”, on the basis of which he [Sam George] described Dr. Bawumia as a religious prostitute.
Following the publication of this provocative cartoon, the media giant came under a barrage of criticism and verbal attacks from well meaning Ghanaians for their unprofessional conduct which smacked of religious intolerance. Many had also described their conduct as a recipe for religious tension, and, therefore, one that could perturb the peace and religious harmony in the country.
In order to avoid further attacks on their professional integrity, the media house has eaten the humble pie by first, pulling down (recalling) the publication from all their social media platforms, and, then, followed up with a retraction and apology, as contained in a correspondence from their Chief Executive to Nana Akomea, Head of Dr. Bawumia’s Communications, on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
It is yet to be seen whether the media house will have the decency to apologize to the generality of Ghanaians for offending their sensibilities with the nauseating cartoon and indeed, religious bigotry.
Meanwhile, the NPP, has vowed to drag Media General to the National Media Commission (NMC) over their unethical and unprofessional conduct. According to the Party, the media house has increasingly gained unbridled notoriety in championing campaign of hate and mischief against the Party without any basis.
