Court Press Corps Petition Chief Justice

Accra, (Greater Accra) 7 Nov. The Court Press Corps has expressed reservation about the attitude of some lawyers against media, particularly those who report from the courts. In a petitioned addressed to the Chief Justice, the journalists from the four state-owned media organisations complained about how the media was castigated by some defence lawyers for mis-reporting proceedings of the on-going treason trial involving five persons. The petition said the allegations of misreporting are effect unfounded It said after the defence lawyers had stated their allegation ''the court ordered the reporters to stand in full glare of the gallery and issued a stern warning to them on the allegation which has proved to be untrue''. The petition stated that instead of the court availing itself of the recording gadgets by playing back the statement which was made by a prosecution witness or going through the transcripts to ascertain what the defence lawyers disputed, it rather chastised the reporters. The court press corps, the petition said, deemed this as an affront to the integrity and professional competence and a threat to the reporters' security in public. The reporters therefore appealed to the Chief Justice to take necessary steps to avert the reoccurrence of such ''misdemeanours or they would be compelled to advise themselves. The petition was signed by the accredited court reporters of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ghana News Agency (GNA), Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times.