The embattled Daily Graphic reporter, Mark Anthony Vinorkor, has apologised to Parliament’s Privileges Committee for reporting that Parliament clandestinely changed two Constitutional Instruments (CI) which were laid before the house.
His reportage centered on the CI which will regulate the conduct of the November polls, but it was viewed as a misrepresentation of the proceedings by some MPs.
[contextly_sidebar id=”d2qWPJAnyhclducpHOU1JvuDHuvuL4k8″]Mr. Vinorkor, whose accreditation to work in Parliament has been withdrawn, expressed his contrition before the committee saying “Mr. Chairman, I wish to render an unqualified apology to the leadership of parliament and to the entire house for those publications.”
He also admitted that, there was no justification for his reportage in further show of remorse.
“After my attention was drawn to the fact there were mistakes in those stories I did, I have realized that I cannot justify the content in those articles or those stories I did.”
“I am very sorry, I didn’t mean to put anything out there to suggest that parliament has done anything unconstitutional, he added”
The committee has since decided to meet in-camera noting that “with the apology, we don’t need to even call the complainant and witness and so on. We just would have to deal with the matter at this stage.”
“We will on our part do our job by preparing a report with recommendations. As soon as we lay our report and present it, we will let you know so that you come to the chamber and we go through the necessary motions.”
Background
Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku reported that Vinorkor’s story in the Daily Graphic explained that the two constitutional instruments which were laid in Parliament last Friday “were actually changed clandestinely and replaced with a new one on Monday” so the counting of the 21 days of maturity should rather begin on Monday and not Friday.
He said Members of Parliament especially those from the Minority side were unhappy with the reportage adding that, “the Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul, said the action was a misrepresentation which has dire consequences because no member of Parliament has the right to temper with constitutional instruments that are laid on the floor of the house.”
Following the reportage, “the reporter was hurled before the House on Thursday, where he apologized.
But this morning he wrote another piece which sought to slight the leadership again and so they took a very unkind view to what he had written.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana