GNA Appalled With IEA�s �Dishonesty�

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) has slammed the Institute of Economic Affairs over a controversial report on the alleged incumbency abuse by the New Patriotic Party in the 2008 general elections. The GNA insists the report on the incumbency abuse by the NPP which it published on its website on Sunday 14 August, 2011, was taken from the website of the IEA. The report makes stinging indictment on the NPP and how it flagrantly abused state resources to run an opulent campaign in the last election-an election it lost to the then opposition National Democratic Congress flagbearer John Mills. But the IEA has been quick to dissociate itself from the report, challenging its authenticity. An official from the institute- on Monday told Myjoyonline.com they did not author the report but rather the report was presented to the institute to be reviewed. She had no idea who wrote the report and wondered where the GNA picked it from and why it chose to put it out. Shortly, another official (male) from the Institute who claimed to be the administrator but who would not give his name told Myjoyonline.com IEA had nothing to do with the report. He contradicted the earlier statement that the Institute only reviewed the report, stating in unambiguous terms that the Institute had nothing to do with it. The NPP Chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey described the report in an interview with Joy News as containing �awful lot of rubbish.� On Tuesday, the Acting General Manager of the GNA Boakye Danquah-Boadi said he is appalled by the action of the IEA. �The GNA is rather appalled by the action of the IEA, removing the material from their website. It is a big shock to the editorial content of the Agency because we accessed the material on their website. �When they complained our news editor took a representative of the IEA to their own website and led her step-by-step to the material which was on their website. He said he has the report archived on the computers of the GNA with all the linkages to the IEA website and read portions of the report he claimed was on the IEA website which has been archived. �Even though they (IEA) have removed it from their website, we have archived it,� he explained He would not use the word dishonest but accused the IEA of pulling the report from the website immediately the story broke. �It is very bad for them to have done that,� he lamented, adding, �the GNA is very credible; we picked it from their website and they cannot deny that.�