Journal of Communications, Media & Society (JOCMAS)

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A Philosophical Perspective of Communication
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2023-06-01) Coker, Wincharles
The study of communication suffers from two basic problems: It lacks a theoretical canon and philosophical rigor. In view of these limitations, this article explores the significance of continental philosophy for the growth of the field. Attention is given to the traditions of phenomenology, hermeneutics, and epistemology in an effort to grasp how such notions as experience, interpretation, and power explain communicative intents, acts, and processes. The paper concludes that the application of these philosophies is necessary for traversing the borders of arid positivism and technological determinism in communication and media theory, research, and practice.
Adapting Benjamin Kwakye’s the Clothes of Nakedness as a Film: An Essay
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2019-07) Akrong, Brian
This paper discusses the usefulness of adapting the novel, The Clothes of Nakedness by Benjamin Kwakye (1998) as a film. This adaptation is relevant because the novel presents themes, language and gender issues pertaining to Ghana and by extension Africa as a whole. The thematic issues could be relevant to other parts of the world which share similar characteristics. While values that could promote development seem to receive little attention, there is a growing tendency among the youth to watch movies and other entertainment programmes. This growing inclination among the youth could be harnessed to promote values such as those depicted in the novel analysed for this study. Feminism and feminist reception theory have been employed in this study. This essay employs text analysis and literary appreciation to analyse and discuss The Clothes of Nakedness in terms of the values, characters and other literary techniques in the novel to demonstrate the usefulness of adapting the novel as a film. The title of the novel, The Clothes of Nakedness, derives from an Akan proverb which states that, ‘Se Kwatrikwa se obe mawu ntuma-a, tie ne din’ to wit, ‘If Nakedness promises you clothes, take note of his name.’ The title is a satirical reference to people who pose as wealthy, yet do not have anything but rather depend ironically on the very people they claim to assist. Mystique Mysterious typifies this pauper but it also reflects the incompetence of the men in the novel who are supposed to support their female counterparts. As an outline, the paper begins with the concept of adaptation and proceeds with a synopsis of the novel. The paper further discusses the Feminist theory and how it underpins the study. There is the discussion and analysis based mainly on gender and feminist theory and the language of the novel is also examined.
African Conflicts: Memory, Trauma and Narrative (Dis)Play in Selected Memoirs
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2016) Traoré, Moussa; Segtub, Martin
This study participates in the scholarly conversation on the issue of memory and trauma within the research space of the rhetoric of conflicts in Africa. Three memoirs— Ahmad Tejan Kabbah’s Coming Back from the Brink in Sierra Leone (2010); Ismael Beah’s A Long Way Gone: The True Story of a Child Soldier (1998); and Véronique Tadjo’s The shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda (2002)— serve as primary data for the paper. The theoretical framework guiding the work is Teun van Dijk’s approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), supported by Jonathan Charteris-Black’s theory of “Metaphor and political communication”. The study also employed an interpretive methodological approach that embedded the Aristotelian concepts of pathos, ethos and logos to understand the rhetorical tactics used in the memoirs to communicate various ideologies, representations and meanings of conflicts in Africa. The analysis shows that many of the problems that ignite conflicts in Africa are partly from the continent’s colonial antecedents, and partly from the African leaders themselves, who employ sophisticated narrative manoeuvres for their selfish interest or for the soul of the African rich minerals.
Agency And Processes in a Pandemic: Confronting Covid 19 Through Presidential Addresses
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2023-06-01) Awuku, B. Offeibea
Grounded in the transitivity strand of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, this study investigates the transitivity patterns of the first two addresses delivered by the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, to Ghanaians after Ghana recorded its first six cases of the coronavirus to ascertain how the Covid 19 pandemic is construed in Ghana and how its initial reality is interpreted. Among many things, the addresses sought to give directives, call on various sectors and create awareness concerning the pandemic’s causes, effects, and precautions. The study discovered the projection of the president of Ghana as the active agent who is placed in the driver’s seat of Ghana’s fight against the pandemic together with some ministries and parliament as well as the entire Ghanaian populace. The processes associated with these participants are of movement depicting that they are active in their quest to confront the pandemic. Unfortunately, the health officials who are ideally expected to be active under such circumstances are not given agent roles in the data. There is a great awareness of the interpretation of the reality of the pandemic that is being portrayed in these addresses. Even though it is beyond the scope of this study to examine the reception and impact of these addresses and draw conclusions, the study reveals that examining these addresses clarifies the government’s position on the pandemic situation as well as strategies for creating awareness and promoting preventive behaviours and attitudes.
Akosua Cartoons in the Daily Guide: A Discourse Analysis
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2012-03) Rockson, Kweku
This pioneering effort in using discourse analysis to describe editorial cartoons in a national daily explores the ontology of Akosua cartoons in the Daily Guide. Using the interpretive approach from the epistemic standpoint, the qualitative approach is utilied to identify sampling units through strategic sampling to respond to three propositions: 1. 'Akosua* cartoons will reflect the 'ideological standpoint of the publishers*.2. Akosua* cartoons will dwell more on 'political* issues than on other issues. 3. * Akosua* cartoons will be gender blind in the portrayal of issues. The study used two theories, construction of reality and ethnomethodology to provide a context for understanding * Akosua* cartoons. First, the particular ideological standpoint of the publisher is reflected in the content of cartoons. Second, when it comes to the type of issues covered, it was clear that there is an emphasis on political news. For this publisher the overarching ideological and strategic position is the three Ps: pro-democracy, professionalism and profits. The second issue of gender shows that there is no gender policy and the coverage of women is essentially neutral.
Analysis of Ethical Concerns in Social Media use among Youth in Nigeria
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2022-12) Epepe, Umefien Dakoru
This study sought to analyse ethical concerns in social media use among the youth in Nigeria. The theoretical framework adopted is the Source Credibility Theory. The study employed Critical Discourse Analysis. The population of the study consisted of the top four (4) social networking sites in Nigeria. Out of these, Twitter was purposively selected for its widespread use for youth activism, particularly within the context of the #EndSARS protest; and for being the only social media platform the federal government had temporarily banned for ethical violations. A convenient sample of ten (10) tweets, which included retweets with text and images posted both during and within 18 months after the protest, was used to collect secondary data. Findings demonstrated a mix of ethical and unethical use of Twitter within the context of the protest. The result also revealed that although Twitter is a credible source of information, there were instances of anonymous tweets, which cast some doubts on the credibility of that specific source. The study recommends that beyond social media regulations, there is a need for the promotion of media literacy in Nigeria’s workplaces and educational system. In addition, the form of self-regulation inherent in African ethics should be applied by users of social media to facilitate harmonious communication. This study has made a modest contribution in the area of source credibility theory by proposing a conceptual framework within the context of the study.
Assessment of the Determinants of Physical Health Quality of Life of the Aged with Disability in Selected Districts in Ghana
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2021-06) Nantomah, Bismark; Tanle, Augustine; Darteh, Eugene Kofuor Maafo
There is increasing proportion of the aged population in Ghana who are affected by physical and visual disabilities. Therefore, this study assessed the determinants of physical health Quality of Life (QOL) of the aged with disability in selected Districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (IGF) model was adapted to guide the study. The study used a census survey and questionnaires to collect data from 810 respondents. Those who were aged 60-69 years had the highest physical health QOL mean score and lowest for those aged 80 years and older. Physical health QOL mean score was highest for those who were married and lowest among those who were separated / divorced. Aged with physical disability scored higher in physical health QOL as compared to those with visual disability. It was observed that age, marital status and type of disability of the aged with disability determined their physical health QOL.
Between Facts and Fiction: The Relationship between Journalism and Literature
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2012-03) Glover-Meni, Nathaniel
The study investigated the relationship between literature and journalism, with reference to Ghanaian and, for that matter, African literary ethos, aesthetes and cultural heritage. The study dilated on this relationship between literature and journalism on one hand, and politics on the other, and how the three entities could be utilised in overcoming, or at least, ameliorating the development challenges facing Africa This point is premised on the fact that an earlier use of the three entities helped the struggle against colonialism and later imperialism. Also, the study investigates how literary ournalism can be used to highlight currents of thought with reference to contemporary political, cultural and economic experience in Ghana Overall, the study supports the idea that literary journalism can be used as a veritable communication tool in overcoming some of the social, political and economic difficulties facing the African continent.
Blogging as an e-Learning Tool in Tertiary Communication Institutions in Ghana: An Exploratory Study
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2018-05) Addo, Hillar; Gyau, Yaw Odame
This study investigated blogging as an e-learning tool and the level at which it is becoming a medium for teaching and learning in communication tertiary institutions in Ghana. The study considered four theories; e-learning/online learning models; constructivism, interactivism, and connectivism to provide a context for the use of instructional technology, focusing on communication training institutions in Ghana. Using a quantitative methodology, the study adopted multi-stage sampling procedure to respond to three propositions: 1. Students who have blog sites are more comfortable with lecturers who use blogging as an e-learning tool for teaching and learning. 2. There is a significant positive relationship between students with blog sites and Communication training institutions that consider e-learning as a teaching and learning platform. 3. Having a blog site influences the career development of students from Communication training institutions. Findings were that; tutors and learners casually use e-learning tools, majority of students and lecturers in communication training institutions in Ghana would appreciate utilising e-learning tools for the delivery of various learning modules, but it is sparingly, casually and occasionally used. The study also provided a new model within the context of active patronage of e-learning tools and blogging for teaching and learning in tertiary institutions in Ghana.
Building Institutional Brand Personality: The Effect of the Creative Problem Solving Ability Attributes of School Managers
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2017-05) Semarco, Stanley K. M.; Cho, Seokhee
The study examined the linkages between creative problem-solving ability attributes and the specific components of the institutional (corporate) brand personality dimensions; as well as the predictive influence of creative problem solving ability attributes on the aggregated institutional brand personality of Ghanaian basic schools. Two hundred and seventy-nine headteachers and 558 teachers provided data using the creative problem-solving ability attributes and brand personality dimensions inventories. The structural equation modelling result showed that the hypothesised model of the linkage between creative problem-solving ability attributes and institutional brand personality fit the data. Results also indicated that divergent thinking had a significant indirect effect on brand personality, with motivation and knowledge showing significant direct effects. The implication of the findings when it comes to school leaders creatively providing solutions and determining the schools brand personality was discussed.
Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in A Telecommunications Company - A Case Study of Vodafone Ghana
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2021-06) Rockson, Kweku
This study explored the practice of CSR in Vodafone Ghana within the CSR conceptual framework of the Instrumental theories among the wider grouping encompassing Instrumental, Political, Social Integrative and Ethical (Garriga and Mele, 2004). This research also broadly considered /ssues about the relationship between business and society and the extent to which the company's CSR footprints conform to the CSR scientific assessment criteria: environment, marketplace, employee care, community (Wholley 2004) and corporate governance. The qualitative approach using 20 in-house and external respondents through primary research and document analysis was used to gather the data. The findings showed that Vodafone’s performance can be put within the context of four theories under the Instrumental theory namely: shareholder value enhancement; getting a competitive advantage; cause related marketing and corporate philanthropy. From the perspective of the five scientific criteria this company can be associated more with the marketplace and the community through their aggressive promotional activities and corporate social investment (CSI) performance.
Country Branding: Promoting Investment, Tourism and Export through Country Communication Management and Social Engineering
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2009-02) Akotia, Mathias
Country branding, which is about employing strategic marketing to promote a country's identity, has become a strategic tool of a country's competitiveness. However, only few developing countries have articulated and implemented a branding strategy. This paper examines the competitive advantage a country brand engenders for developing countries-in terms of exports, inward investment, tourism, and positive image. Furthermore, emphasising country branding as a communication management and social engineering, this paper argues that there is more than persuasive rationale for a country branding strategy to integrate and to direct the full range of political, economic, cultural and social programmes towards national development, wealth creation and social cohesion.
Coverage of Presidential Candidates and Press Bias in Ghana
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2016) Afful, Ebo
The news media in democracies are seen as suppliers of political stories to citizens. And one of the methods by which this activity is performed is by the news gathering and dissemination role of the media. In a situation where selection and presentation of news is based on biased instead of the interest of citizens, the ethics of the profession is questioned. In effect, it is anti-democracy and development. Above all, with regard to Ghana, it amounts to a total disregard of the code of the Ghana Journalists Association. This study examines the extent to which the press was biased in its framing of the previous presidential elections. Using content analysis, the study, which is grounded in the theory of gatekeeping, found out that in 2008 and 2012 election campaigns in Ghana, the press was biased in favour of the NPP’s presidential candidate. This result also goes to dispute the trend of incumbency bonus or advantage in Ghanaian political communication.
Developing Language Skills for Effective Global Partnerships
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2012-03) Amankwah, Dinah Serwaa
The concept of celebrating differences reached humanity rather late in the stream of human endeavours; yet that notion also probably underscores current efforts to legitimise spaces to rectify past attempts at socio-cultural displacement. Recognising differences as shared phenomena rather than a weapon for patronage might have spared the ancient and modern worlds the unpleasant experience of colonisation. That recognition is yet to be jully grasped even by the contemporary world. Globalisation is a commendable human endeavour and worth attention. All countries are affected by this global phenomenon. Through globalisation, humanity is making strides to bridge hitherto seeming insurmountable gaps, thus ensuring a certain amount of acceptance of others. That language is a unifying factor in these human endeavours cannot be overemphasised. This paper discusses English language from three perspectives: The first section locates language in the centre of past socio-cultural discord among written and oral cultures. The second part discusses the major breakthroughs in human relations due to improved communication channels. The final part considers the crucial need for developing effective language and communications skills within the global relations and how the Ghanaian educational system could aid technical graduates to maximise their marketability through language.
Dialogic Communications and Online Public Relations Practice: An Analysis of Two Web-Based Platforms of Ghana’s National Communications Authority
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2021-06) Asuman, Manfred Kofi Antwi; Bampoe, Harriet Ama
Using Kent and Taylor’s (1998) five principles of dialogic communication, this study examined the National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana’s use of website and Facebook to engage stakeholders. A content analysis of the website and Facebook page of the NCA was conducted for a period of six months. The study analysed indicators of the five dialogic principles which are; dialogic loop, usefulness of information, generation of returned visits, ease of interface, and conservation of visitors. The study found that the five dialogic principles were minimally manifested on both website and Facebook page of the NCA as both platforms only employed principles ease of use and useful information adequately. Comparatively, posts made on the Facebook page and the website of the NCA were similar to an extent and the principle of useful information scored the highest points on both platforms. Finally, the study revealed that the website of the NCA did not allow two-way communication between the organisation and its publics. These findings may suggest that the NCA website did not foster direct feedback. The findings support existing literature and affirms what communication scholars such as Nam (2014) have reported.
Election Campaigns Framing in an Emerging Democracy: Horse race versus Issue Framing in Ghana
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2017-05) Afful, Ebo
Political communication literature has repeatedly documented various forms of framing election campaigns across democracies, although that on Africa, including Ghana, are few. Matters of interest to such studies concern issues, horse race, coverage tone and presidential candidates' media visibility. This paper presents some ﬁndings from a qualitative content analytical study that explored political campaign coverage of elections in the Ghanaian media and implications thereof within the context of political communication. Grounded in framing and gatekeeping theories, the study speciﬁcally focused on the relationship between two broad categories – issues and horse race framing – in the 2008 and 2012 election campaign coverage in Ghana. And with data from two state-owned and two privately-owned Ghanaian newspapers, the study analyses which categories dominated the press presentation of the various election campaigns. The study demonstrates that coverage of the two elections was issue-based with peace as the most covered issue. However, the data also appears to indicate that horse race has the potential to dominate Ghana's coverage of future elections.
Enacting Personal Identity Through Language: An Exploration of Some Profile Statuses of WhatsApp Messenger
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2018-05) Herzuah, Paul Anzah Ackah
Technology in the twenty-first century has transformed the world in multiple exciting ways facilitating the rapid flow of information, capital and services across the globe. The constant evolution of new media has spurred the growth of multimedia affordances enabling people to assemble texts that integrate language with visual, aural, gestural and spatial modes. This digital revolution has transformed language by triggering an explosion of new vocabularies, genres and styles by reshaping literacy practices (Darvin, 2016). Digitization provides the technological basis for globalization and media convergence is a bi-product of globalization. In this study, I set out to explore the linguistic elements employed on the WhatsApp statuses of individuals who use the application to communicate messages to their readers and also to establish the connection between these linguistic elements and how they portray the identity of the users. Using Hyland’s (2005) metadiscourse strategies - stance and engagement markers as the analytical framework- the study comes out with conclusions that users of WhatsApp application employ three main metadiscourse elements: self-mention, realized through first-person singular and possessive pronouns (I, my) (stance), reader pronoun (you, your, we, our) (engagement) and directive as linguistic strategies to negotiate their identity on the status . They achieve this by directly focusing the message unto themselves and indicating special relationship with others to reveal to readers their (users’) guiding principles and philosophies in life. Directives like imperatives, modal obligation and predicative adjectives were used to pull readers into the discourse as participants and instructing them to perform an action which ultimately leads them to appreciate and share in the user’s ideas, worldview, experiences and orientation.
English in Tertiary Institutions and the Issues of Falling Standards: Expectations, Lessons and Challenges
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2009-02) Fosu, Modestus
This paper dwells on the mounting problem of English language incompetence among a significant number of graduates in Ghana. This is an issue that has received and continues to attract wide discussion in academic and media circles. It is incontrovertible that many prominent people, most of them products of our institutions of higher learning, are unable to use English - spoken and written - in a contextually, socially and technically approved and desirable manner. This communication problem calls for concern because of the developmental role of information and communication in the economic, political, technological, and social challenges of today’s global existence. The way English language - both as a school subject or discipline and as a competency to be mastered— is taught and treated with indifference at the pre tertiary and tertiary levels accounts for this unfortunate state of affairs. This paper, therefore, argues that the nation, tertiary institutions, and lecturers perceive this problem as a “crisis ” and take definite steps that will strengthen the English language ability of graduates, irrespective of their specific courses of study.
Establishing the Rationale for Media Education for Students in Ghana
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2018-05) Diedong, Africanus L.; Tuurosong, Damasus
Recent developments in Information, Communication and Technologies (ICT) is propelling shifts in how important institutions such as the family, school and religion impart values to people, especially young persons. Arguably, these institutions seem to be losing their enviable positions as the main purveyors of values and wisdom in society. The paper argues for an overall rationale for media education in Ghana. Questionable contents of some media seem at variance with Ghanaian cultural values and norms within a context in which Media Education is taken for granted demands examination. In terms of methodology of the study, documents and other scientific research papers on Media Education were reviewed. A major finding of the study is that in Ghana there is no formal discourse about the need to integrate media education into curriculum. Therefore Media Education is yet to become a relevant course in the curricula of schools from the basic level of education to the second cycle through to the tertiary level. The paper concludes that Ghana can profit from a policy that establishes Media Education (ME) in her school system.
Examination of Ghana’s ICT in Education Policy within the Context of Globalization
(Journal of Communications, Media & Society, 2018-05) Yidana, Peter
The Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Education Policy was first drafted in 2003 as part of the general educational reforms in Ghana. The aim of the policy is to improve access, equity and quality education. It is also to ensure that all students acquire basic ICT skills and apply them not only in their studies but also in all aspects of life. Ghana has consistently ranked low in the International ICT development index despite several revisions of the policy. Factors that contribute to this development are not clearly known. The study looks at the current situation as regards the implementation of the policy within the context of globalization. The study seeks to inform debate on how best Ghana can take advantage of globalization and the 21st century information technologies revolution to efficiently implement the policy. It is premised on the ICT Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) that is used widely to explain information system usage. The method adopted in the study is meta-analysis. Relevant research articles, policy papers and education sector performance reports are re-examined in the light of global ICT trends to provide a clearer picture of the status of ICT development within the education sector. Evidence found suggests that not only is the implementation of the policy bedeviled with infrastructural and human resource challenges, but also low level of commitment from relevant stakeholders. The study also found that for Ghana to take advantage of opportunities offered by globalization, issues of information and communication technology must be taken seriously. It is therefore recommended that the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in collaboration with the Government and other relevant stakeholders should set up National ICT in Education Commission with specific focus to strengthen the capacity of educational institutions to implement the ICT policy. Ghana must also move away from dependence on foreign assistance by setting up National ICT in Education Fund that will carter for the infrastructural needs of all public institutions. It is also recommended that ICT education must be an integral part of teacher education programs and should form part of requirements for the licensing of professional teachers. There is also the need for a new form of orientation for students and teachers as regards the benefits of ICT education so as to whip up their interest and enthusiasm in ICT education.

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