Owners of private radio and television companies have begun a consultative meeting in Accra to discuss a draft code of conduct for the coverage of the December general elections. The draft code when finalized will also offer guidance to members of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) on resource allocation, fairness and means of addressing allegations of malpractices while guaranteeing the editorial independence of the media houses. The Accra consultations climax a series of regional, zonal and in-house discussions to fine-tune the document. When the code of conduct becomes operational, journalists working in member organizations of GIBA will be compelled to make reference to only results certified by the Electoral Commission. The Executive Director of GIBA, Gerald Ankrah explained the utmost need for professionalism, accuracy and credibility necessitated the project. He warned of sanctions against members of the Association whose unprofessional conduct undermines the reputation of the group in the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections. A media consultant with Strengthening Transparency, Accountability & Responsiveness (STAR-Ghana), George Paintsil cautioned against abusive language in media discourse before, during and after the December 7 polls. STAR-Ghana is funding the publication of the code.