The Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC) has waded into alleged acts of assault on some journalists by guards of ex-President J.A. Kufuor. According to George Sarpong, the act is regrettable and could easily have been avoided. Journalists in the company of the Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation Mr. Kofi Portuphy, were Wednesday said to have been manhandled after they took pictures of the residence of ex-President Kufuor. The security men held that the visiting group had no permission to take shots of the private property of former president. Cameras belonging to some of the journalists were also said to have been destroyed by the security. Public condemnation of the fracas has been swift, with both journalists and the security detail getting their fair share of the criticisms. While the journalists have been chided for taking photographs of a private residence without the necessary arrangement the security have been accused of being high handed in dealing with the journalists. In an interview with Citi News on Thursday, Mr. George Sarpong noted that concerns over the private status of the ex-president’s residence cannot be justified in the instant case, more so when the outfit is guarded by security personnel drawing salaries from the public purse. He argued that in the instant case security considerations rather than ownership should be paramount. But he also cautioned journalists to be more circumspect in gathering their information, saying, “Our insistence on certain rights can be problematic to the security.” “In an atmosphere where rules are not clearly spelt out, it is difficult to tell which of the two parties is to blame.” Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline