The National Media Commission (NMC) has directed ModernGhana.com and Class FM to retract and/or remove all publications concerning Adamus Resources Limited and its Chief Executive Officer, Ms Angela List, which were issued without verification.
The Commission said the retractions must be given the same prominence as the original publications.
A statement issued in Accra, signed by Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the NMC, said both media outlets must also publish a formal apology to the complainants.
All retractions, removals and apologies are to be completed within seven days of the directive.
The complaint, the statement said, concerned publications about Ms List, which the complainants described as misleading and damaging.
On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the NMC’s Complaints Settlement Committee held a settlement meeting with all parties present, which the Commission described as constructive and cordial.
The NMC said the representatives of ModernGhana.com acknowledged that they did not contact the complainants to verify or cross-check the stories prior to publication.
Similarly, Class FM admitted it failed to verify or cross-check the information before publication and offered no justification for the breach of journalistic standards.
The statement said both respondents confirmed that, following intervention by a representative of the complainants, the contested stories were subsequently removed.
The complainants, however, emphasised the significant reputational harm the publications had caused, including concerns raised by their international partners.
They noted that although they prepared a rejoinder for media circulation, it was not directly served on the respondents.
After reviewing the facts, the Commission concluded that the respondents breached fundamental journalistic ethics by failing to verify information before publication, contrary to Articles 4 and 5 of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Code of Ethics, 2017.
It said although the respondents removed the initial stories when prompted, they continued to publish related content thereafter.
The NMC said the complainants exercised their constitutional right to issue a rejoinder under Article 162(6) of the 1992 Constitution; however, because the rejoinder was not served on the respondents, they were not obliged to publish it.
The Commission encouraged all parties to sustain the cordial atmosphere established during the settlement meeting, noting that mutual respect and adherence to ethical standards were essential to strengthening media practice and corporate engagement in the country.
