THE NATIONAL Media Commission (NMC) and the National Communications Authority (NCA) have warned that they shall duly apply necessary sanctions against errant media houses which would flout their broadcasting authorisation, the various guidelines of the NMC and the code of conduct of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).

The institutions noted that they recognize that there was a fringe of media practice which borders on unprofessional practice, despite the fact that "the broadcast and other electronic media in Ghana have contributed immensely in developing the democratic culture of Ghana."

They also noted that the support of the media is crucial for the success of the 2012 elections and that "both NMC and NCA have faith in the capacity of the media in Ghana to behave responsibly."

This was contained in a communiqué issued by the two institutions on Tuesday and signed by the Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr. George Sarpong, and the Director General of the NCA, Mr. Paarock VanPercy.

The communiqué was developed out of a meeting to discuss ways to improve broadcasting regulation in order to ensure free and responsible coverage of the elections especially on Election Day and the immediate post-election period.

The statement noted that peace, stability and cohesion of the nation depend in part on the behaviour of the media "as we go into the elections on December 7."

In view of this, the two institutions have stated that they would take every reasonable step to support the media to perform their duties, but will not hesitate to call to order any aberrations intended to undermine "our collective peace and security, and to throw our nation into chaos."

Also, the NMC and NCA have accordingly set up a Joint Committee to monitor the performance of the electronic media before, during and after the 2012 General Elections.

"By this Joint Communiqué, NMC and the NCA wish to draw the attention of broadcast and other electronic media to their responsibility and particularly to abide by the terms of their broadcasting authorisation, the various guidelines of the National Media Commission and the code of conduct of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA)", they noted.