Examination of Media Coverage on Waste Management Practices in Ghana

Abstract

Managing waste has been one of the major conundrums facing Ghana. A lot of people including authorities do not know how to properly waste therefore waste has been causing harm to humans, animals and the environment. The media are of paramount importance because they inform, educate and entertain the masses. In view of this, the study sought to examine media coverage on waste management practices in Ghana. Moreover, the study focused on the state of media coverage on waste management in Ghana, types of waste reported by the media, repercussions of waste reported by the media, waste management practices reported by the media and sources cited by the media. Digital media, specifically news sites were selected for the study. Simple random sampling was used to select two of Ghana’s reputable news sites, thus graphic.com.gh and myjoyonline.com. Waste management articles published by graphic.com.gh and myjoyonline.com from 1st January 2020 to 15th September 2020 were considered for the study. The content on the articles were analyzed using quantitative techniques. It was found out that the media have not really been paying attention waste and waste management. Their publication on waste management was extremely low. The type of waste the media reported on include solid waste, illiquid waste, gaseous waste and radioactive waste. Moreover, the media reported that waste leads to health problems, contamination, floods and climate change. The study brought to the fore that the waste management practices reported by the media include landfill, incineration, recycling, mechanical biological treatment and composting. The study recommends that media should give waste management the maximum attention since managing waste is one of the cankers facing the country and must incessantly educate the public readers on the harmful effects of waste as well as the proper ways of managing waste