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The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere has called on the media to stand up for Ghana and ensure that there is peace before, during and after the December elections. He noted that the media has a critical role to play in ensuring peaceful elections, adding that �the judgment of history awaits us. We shall be judged and held responsible for what we used our media platform to say or write individually or collectively.� Mr. Blay-Amihere made this known during the inauguration of 15 members of the reconstituted National Media Commission (NMC). He said �we trust that the media which has helped to nurture, build and restore democracy in Ghana will not fail the citizenry.� Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere was re-elected unopposed to serve another term. Other members of the reconstituted commission, who were inducted included Dr Camynta Baizie, representing the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) and Library Associations, Perry Ofosu of the Institute Public Relations (IPR), Anthony Akoto-Ampaw of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Sam Kofi Ahenkorah of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Nana Essilfie Conduah, representing Journalism Training Institutions (JTI) and Mrs Gina Ama Blay of the Private Newspapers, representing Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG). Dr Clement Apaak and Francis Kwarteng Arthur represent the Presidency; Rev Ofori Kuragu represents the Christian Council of Ghana, Kinglsey Offei Nkansah � the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Patience Opoku, National Council on Women and Development (NCWD) and Alhaji Gado Mohammed; the Muslim/Ahmaddiya community. The rest are Chief Crystal Djirackor, who represents the Ghana Independent Broadcasting Association (GIBA) and Kwesi Gyan Apenteng, who together with Mr Blay-Amihere, represent the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Mr. Blay-Amihere said the NMC was collaborating with the National Communication Authority (NCA) to ensure greater sanity in the broadcasting sector, adding that the commission will join forces for the quick passage of the progressive broadcasting bill as well as Right to Information Bill. He said the work of the commission had been hampered by the lack of logistics for effective monitoring of the media landscape. Mr. Blay-Amihere noted, �It is worth stating that for an institution which so much is expected, so little has been given over the years, such that the NMC after 20 years in existence has so little in terms of resources to fulfill its core mandate of regulating an expanded media landscape of many newspapers, radio, televisions and the emerging social media.� He urged the reconstituted NMC to work towards strengthening the Commission through legislative reforms and capacity building to ensure high professional standards in the Ghanaian media. Mr. Blay-Amihere hinted that NMC was planning to build a new secretariat and open regional offices across the country, adding that work is underway. He appealed to members to put aside their political affiliations and work for the betterment of the media and nation. Inaugurating the members on behalf of the Chief Justice, a Supreme Court Judge Justice Anin Yeboah urged the Commission to ensure that the media is not used to propagate information which would cause confusion this election year. He tasked the Commission to be more proactive in resolving complaints received on ethical breaches in an effort to boost public trust in the Commission. Mr. Anin Yeboah appealed to the members to enforce the core guidelines on political advertising, which it launched recently to ensure sanity in the electioneering season. �Notable among these guidelines is the need to ensure that state-owned media provide fair and equitable political coverage to all the political parties, and also ensure that 24 hours to the elections, there should be no campaigning or any political activity in any form in the mass media,� he said. Justice Anin Yeboah called on the NMC to pay particular attention to stations which broadcast in local language to ensure uphold the standards of taste and decency. He said even though the NMC is under resourced, members must rise above this challenge as ambassadors of the people of this country to sanitize the media landscape for the good of all. 15 out of the required 18-members were sworn in. This was due to the fact the Commission did not receive representation from parliament as stipulated by law. Only four members of the reconstituted Commission were retained after serving a three-year term.