Six feared dead as ambulance crushes into tipper truck (PHOTOS)

ASSESSING THE POSTURE OF THE PRESS AFTER OBTAINING INDEPENDENCE.

Newspapers are one of the outlets used in dissemination of information to the general public to inform, educate and entertain. Yes, it’s believed that journalism began with the relay of information by words of mouth but it could be agreed that the practice of professional journalism began when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which was used to produce 3,600 pages per day.

However, newspaper production in Ghana begun with The Gold Coast Gazette and Commercial Intelligencer, in 1822-25 by Sir Charles McCarthy the central goal of this Cape Coast newspaper was to provide information to European merchants and civil servants in the colony.

In the mid century the political atmosphere of Gold Coast now Ghana became tense characterized by series of strikes and political insurgencies, in this period the Accra Herald the  first native  newspaper was produced in Gold Coast (Ghana) leading to the proliferation newspapers like Gold Coast Times, Western Echo, Gold Coast Assize, Gold Coast News and The Accra Evening news, these  newspapers demanded that citizens be given political rights, improved living standards, and self-government from colonial masters.

The environment with in which the newspaper finds itself determines or influences the kind of story that the newspaper will channel out. In accessing the posture of news papers after obtaining independence, one dominate factor to look at is the ownership of the newspaper. The ownership of the media has a huge bearing on the posture of newspaper in Ghana today.

                       WATCH DOGS VS LAP DOGS

In Ghana, state –owned newspaper outlets support the agenda of the state; journalists working in with the state owned press have enjoyed a privileged relationship to government sources, information, documents, and resources. 

The government requests the presence of state journalists at daily "invited assignments" to state events and press conferences. As journalists rely on these state sources for their daily supply of news stories, state journalists are quite concerned to protect these mutually rewarding relationships, therefore they  hardly ever publish critical or opposition stories about the government, hence they write stories which portrays the “holier than  thou attitude” of the government to the people.

Private owned media on the other hand report stories based on the whims and caprices of the owner of the newspaper. And mostly stories reported by privately owned media has political coloration.

When the press in question is opposed to the political ideologist of the government, it report stories which sorts to discredit the ruling government and to make it worse, because journalist from private press are sometimes deprived from government information, most of the stores they report are unbalanced and full of propaganda to discredit the government.

Doing a content analysis of both state owned and private press after Mahama’s speech on Ghana’s 59 independence day,   the front page of the  Daily Guide had the caption “ Ghana in Crisis” says Akuffo Addo, myjoyonline.com came with the  headline “ Mahama’s independence day speech disappointing” says Akuffo Addo. (http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2016/March-7th/akufo-addo-mahamas-independence-day-speech-disappointing.php).  

Funny enough, the Daily graphic  and graphiconline.com came  with the headline "Nana Addo wishes Ghana a happy independence day”, with a beautiful picture of Nana Addo with a broad smile showing his 32 teeth. (http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/59663-statement-nana-addo-wishes-ghanaians-happy-59th-independence-day.html).

              THE STRUGGLE FOR THE LIONS SHARE

The fight for commercial advantage among newspapers in Ghana has shaped the posturing of newspaper outlet. Now newspaper production has become a very lucrative enterprise and in other to meet production cost, journalist and editors publish stories in a way to sell the newspaper.

They are able to attain this by giving stories screaming, mind blowing and shocking headlines to bait reader to buy the paper. Of late a story came with the headline “Aseidu Nketia steals goat”.  After a quick read of the headline one might think that, it is the General Secretary of the ruling NDC government, but after reading the lead and the supporting lead of the news story, the Aseidu Nketia in question was a farmer residing somewhere in the hinterland.

This strategy in selling the newspaper is chiefly used by  journalist and editors in private press, as they comply to the mantra “ bad news sells” hence 70-80 % of their publication are sensational stories like accidents, rituals etc.

  
VOICE OF THE POT BELLY VS VOICE OF THE PEOPLE 

What is more? Ghanaian newspapers today are noted for their descriptive style or the story telling approach, were they report story just how it happened. A content analysis on political stories reported in Ghanaian newspapers reveals that, during election session, journalist report the manifesto of political parties, they fail woefully in interrogating  manifestos and presenting the needs of the electorate to the politician. 

This causes the press, both state owned and private to trumpet the needs of the aristocrats at the expense of the voiceless in the society hence the press fails to propagate the true afflictions and plight of the people. 

To conclude, as newspapers  from 1825 sorts to fight for emancipation from colonial masters, newspapers seeks to satisfy the political libidos of their political masters as well as playing on the “emotional keyboard” of their readers with shocking headlines for commercial  advantages.