Consolidating Inter-Media Agenda-Setting Research in Ghana

Sikanku, Godwin Etse

doi:10.1177/0021934714533966

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…However, Sikanku (2014), Jackson and Stanfield (2004), Parkinson (2006), Whitten-Woodring (2009) and Jose (1975) disagree with Chiweshe' s (2017) and Wasserman' s (2007) conclusions and emphasize the crucial role of the media and press freedom in building strong democratic societies. Specifically, Sikanku (2014) points out that media pluralism in Ghana helps in deepening democracy through the unfettered access to information, discussion, debate, and advocacy since the democratic transition of 1992. Jackson and Stanfield (2004) concur with this view and further postulate that, access to communication and free and independent press are democracy' s most important strength anywhere in the world.…”

Section: Digital Media and Democracymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this disturbing evidence of government' s intolerance in recent times, the media in Ghana by law has largely been free from any form of arbitrary control and censorship since the democratic transition almost three decades ago (Bokor, 2015). Furthermore, for many years since the inception of the fourth republican constitution, the traditional media have been at the center of public opinion formation, and have also served as watchdog on the activities of public office holders, especially the executive arm of government (Sikanku, 2014). Nevertheless, for almost two decades now, the emergence of the new media in Ghana, particularly social media, has widened the frontiers of free speech, fostering political debate, discussions, interaction and providing a platform for citizens to demand civil liberties and freedom.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ghana’s democracy and the digital public sphere: some pertinent issues

Gyekye-Jandoh,

Hakim Ahmed

2023

Cont. J. Afr. Stud.

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Ghana’s media has been one of the biggest bulwarks of its nascent democracy since the transition to democratic rule in 1992. What has become known as the Fourth Estate of the Realm is now gradually being digitally networked as a result of the emergence of new media technologies. Using existing data mostly from media think-tanks such as Penplusbytes, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), media and other online sources, this paper appraises the role of digital media in the process of consolidating Ghana’s democracy under the Fourth Republican Constitution within the lens of Habermas’ concept of the public sphere. The study focuses on the 2016 and 2020 general elections of Ghana and analyses the influence of digital media in strengthening democratic values such as political participation, activism and public opinion formation. We conclude that the Habermasian model of the structural transformation of the public sphere (1962) is partly applicable to the Ghanaian media landscape. Although challenges such as the elite stranglehold on the traditional media landscape have been widespread since the beginning of the political transition in 1992, the emergence of the new media has brought new and complex dimensions to the debate. Specifically, while new media platforms have made immense contributions towards enhancing a general liberal environment, they suffer from several drawbacks such as unequal participation and lack of uniformity in public deliberations, with elites and other powerful social and economic actors generally holding sway. The phenomenon of fake news, online disinformation, the issue of digital divide, creeping state repression and COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020 election period have all combined to hamstring the Ghanaian new media which is currently at the center of a seemingly endless process of structural transformation.

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Section: Digital Media and Democracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ghana’s democracy and the digital public sphere: some pertinent issues

Gyekye-Jandoh,

Hakim Ahmed

2023

Cont. J. Afr. Stud.

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“…Much of the news that appears in Ghana's mass media, including GhanaWeb.com, originates with the GNA (Sikanku, 2011(Sikanku, , 2014. The GNA is an agency of the Ministry of Information and acts as a central news collection agent of the state.…”

Section: What's In a Number?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Quantification of Child Labour by Ghana’s Mass Media: A Missed Opportunity?

2022

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This article describes how the mass media in Ghana use quantitative information to communicate the prevalence of child labour. During the period 2000–2020, stories about child labour frequently appeared in Ghana’s mass media. Within nearly 30 per cent of the stories, at least one numerical quantification is used. Quantifications appear to be constructed primarily to dazzle readers. The large numbers and the weight of the technical jargon used would appear to significantly reduce the potential to inform. We ask why successive governments have not used the mass media tools at their disposal to more effectively address the complex policy problem of child labour.

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Intermedia Agenda‐Setting Effects

2017

The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects

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Intermedia agenda‐setting refers to how media content influences and relates to other media content—in other words, the effects that mass media agendas have on each other. This entry begins with a theoretical discussion of the origin of intermedia agenda‐setting research. It traces back to the pioneering studies in this research line to explicate the conceptualization of an intermedia agenda‐setting process. It then reviews more recent intermedia agenda‐setting studies, which led to the expansion of the field's research frontiers. The entry next looks into the most recent studies on the relationship between old and new media, as the emergence of Internet‐based new media has created a multidimensional media landscape that allows for multidirectional influences across a wide range of medium types. Finally, the entry discusses the significance and necessity of transnation intermedia agenda‐setting research in the context of increased globalization.

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Consolidating Inter-Media Agenda-Setting Research in Ghana

Cited by 10 publications

References 43 publications

Ghana’s democracy and the digital public sphere: some pertinent issues

Ghana’s democracy and the digital public sphere: some pertinent issues

The Quantification of Child Labour by Ghana’s Mass Media: A Missed Opportunity?

Intermedia Agenda‐Setting Effects

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