The Print Media Coverage of Ghana’s Legislature

Abstract

The paper researched print media coverage of Ghana’s Parliament using the content analytic category to determine whether the media serve as the tribunes of the larger society. Two Ghanaian newspapers, the state-owned Daily Graphic and the privately-owned Daily Guide were used for the study. A total of Seventy-Two (72) editions of both newspapers were selected, and the coding process produced Ninety (90) news items for analyses. While it has been established that the media as the ‘Fourth Power’ within the State are essential in performing its informational function, it also emerged that in their coverage of Parliament, the media, represented in this study by the two most circulated newspapers in Ghana were not too effective in their educational function. The media have fallen short of providing the required political and operational debates to engage the citizenry. In this paper, while the findings are significant in alerting the media to the malaise, it also emphasises the need to urge them to review their strategies in order to activate citizens to become aware of the wider and more inclusive debates. This can help engender critical public opinion formation and also promote active citizens to appreciate social, economic and political importance of Parliament and its role in the development of Ghana.