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Vice President John Dramani Mahama has defended the position taken by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 2012 Presidential Candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party, not to take legal action against journalists and media houses that have consistently sought to defame him with malicious and libelous publications. Nana Akufo-Addo, one of the foremost advocates of press freedom in the country, is among high profile politicians who have been constantly defamed by some journalists and other people connected to the media. Some people, including Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper, believe the best way Nana Addo can deal with journalists who have developed the penchant for consistently making wild, unsubstantiated allegations against him is to seek redress into court. But, in the view of Mr. Mahama, it is difficult for politicians like Nana Addo and himself, who have spent the greater part of their lives defending press freedom to drag journalists to court even if they are unjustifiably defamed. Speaking at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the repeal of the Criminal Libel and Seditious Law, Vice President Mahama also cited the undue delays usually associated with the court system as another reason that makes politicians ignore calls to seek legal redress for defamation by journalists. This, he noted, has given some journalists the courage to dare journalists they defame to go to court, strengthened by the fact that many politicians are not prepared to go through the tortuous court proceedings of seeking justice. Mr. Mahama decried the practice where some journalists who write defamatory stories about people refuse to publish rejoinders when the untruths or inaccuracies in their stories are brought to their notice. Speaking as the guest of honour, former President Kufour called on the media to carry out self-regulation to ensure that their work is in conformity with their ethnic and acceptable journalistic standards, stressing: �you have to self-regulate. You can�t run loosely without exercising responsibility.� Mr. Kufuor said the former NPP administration under his leadership took the bold initiative to repeal the Criminal Libel and Seditious Law in view of the unfortunate culture of silence that had engulfed the nation over the years, and crippled free speech. Mr. Kufuor noted that the whole world was gravitating towards the freedom of humanity, adding that News of the World in the United Kingdom was recently shut down because it trampled upon the rights of people. He urged the media to learn lessons from the events in North Africa, cautioning that the freedom of man would one day rise against them if they continued to unjustifiably use the power of the pen to destroy the image of people.