The Role of the Mass Media in Ghana’s Democracy

2074 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on how media affects democracy

There is a linkage between the mass media and democracy. The press in the Gold Coast played a significant role in the struggle for the country’s independence from colonialism. Ghana was birth after independence and it has experienced a history of democracy and a mixture of coup d’états. This reduced the beauty of the once vibrant democratic state to a state where the rights of many Ghanaians were imprisoned, beaten, killed by soldiers. Journalist like Kweku Barku, Kwesi Pratt and others were beaten extensively and some were killed as a result of providing the citizens with information on how the military were corrupt. These inhuman treatments brought a state of fear and relegated the media to a background of silence and created no freedom of speech and also to show how powerful there were by creating a state of fear. In 1992 Ghana re-establish democracy called the Fourth Republican Constitutional democracy. The mass media has contributed so much to our peaceful five successful presidential and parliamentary elections that have been held. The constitution of Ghana has embedded in it the rule of law which has given the fundamental rights including freedom of media, association and freedom of speech among many. The mass media is more vibrant than ever before and today governments rely on the media for information from the people and also help government to disseminate information to the people. The role of the media is vital to keep or destroy our democracy.

Firstly, a truly democratic society requires a medium of information dissemination and educating our citizen and their participation in democracy. Ideally newspapers and public affairs programs on radio and television, the internet contributing to inform, educate and enga...

... middle of paper ...

...way to sanitize the system to ensure the maintenance of the democratic culture so that all will enjoy the peace that comes with it. This way the citizenry will be fully aware of the issues on both side of the divide in order to make a good judgment for the formation of fair opinion. It is therefore significant in my view to give the media all the necessary encouragement to play their role more effectively through policies that will strengthen them and straighten any rough edges that may be found among them and the nation Ghana.

Works Cited

Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992.

Daily Graphic, March 2, 2009 No 17855

Jakubowicz, K. Media and Democracy. In Council of Europe (1998) Media and Democracy. Council of Europe Publishing.

Galtung, J. (1996) Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and civilization. London: Sages Productions.

Show More
Related

  • The Role Of Canada In The Suez Canal Crisis

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Peacekeeping and Peacemaking." Reading and Remembrance . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. . (tags: none | edit tags)

    Read More

  • Causes of War: Systemic vs. Domestic

    1789 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holsti, K. J. Peace and War: Armed Conflicts and International Order, 1648-1989. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print.

    Read More

  • The Effects of a Changing Environment on the Ju/'hoansi Lifestyle

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peaceful Societies: Alternatives to Violence and War. (Feb 9, 2012). Economic Stability for the Ju/‘hoansi.

    Read More

  • Just War and Pacifism

    1886 Words  | 4 Pages

    Works Consulted Clark, Mark. A. A. The Paradox of War and Pacifism. ULeadership.com -. 7 Oct 2002. <www.leaderu.com/socialsciences/clark.html> Holmes, Robert. A. A. On War and Morality.

    Read More

  • All the President’s Men

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, the role of the media is to represent the public and intervene between the public and the government. The media is a mirror, which re...

    Read More

  • Popular Culture Artifacts

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    McLaughlin, Greg, and Stephen Baker. The Propaganda of Peace. Bristol, UK: Intellect Ltd., 2010. Print.

    Read More

  • Media Influence On Public Policy

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... small media reforms (like public journalism) will be enough to reduce the commercial and corporate imperatives driving our existing media systems (Hackett and Zhao, 1998, p. 235). Instead, a fundamental reform of the entire system is needed, together with a wider institutional reform of the very structures the media systems work within, our democracies. This will be a difficult task, due to powerful vested interests benefiting from the status quo, including media, political and economic elites. Reforms will need to be driven by campaigns mobilising public support across the political spectrum, to enable the citizens of the world to have a media system that works to strengthen democratic principles as opposed to undermining them. This task is challenging, but it will become easier once people begin to understand the media’s role in policymaking within our democracies.

    Read More

  • Structural Violence

    1728 Words  | 4 Pages

    DuNann Winter, D., & Leighton, D. C. (2001 ). Structural Violence . Peace, conflict, and violence: Peace psychology in the 21st. New York : Prentice-Hall.

    Read More

  • Power of Media in Modern World

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    The power of media lies in its functions, as it can be illustrated by realizing its political power. Media is the cementing force of democracy, because it has supplemented the authority of people by giving them awareness about political system and its functioning. And this is the reason for which media is considered the fourth pillar of state. It strives for the rights of citizens to be served. In short, proper functioning of media is pre requisite for democracy.

    Read More

  • The Power of the Media in Politics

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    power of the mass media is an asset to the government in some instances and

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Media on Politics

    4123 Words  | 9 Pages

    "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which we choose our leaders. There was once a time when the government used the media as a medium to influence voters, committees, communities etc. Recently, it has been the presidents of major media outlets that have not only exercised power over the public but also made their presences felt in government and in the halls of congress. When the word democracy is thrown about it usually has to do with the rights or original intentions for a group or organization. The first group intended to be influenced by the media was the informed voter. Political parties along with the government used a variety of media resources to persuade the voter or in effect receive a vote for their cause. Returning to the thought of ?democracy? the question is, what was the original intention of the media with relation to the theme of democracy and the informed voter? To analyze this thought thoroughly one must first grasp an understanding of the basic definition of democracy.

    Read More

  • Traditional Journalism Essay

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first is the crisis of viability. The chance of success in the journalism in the mainstream is approaching a decline due to the transformations in technologies and new access to multiple sources of information. The second is a crisis in civic adequacy. The contributions of journalism to citizenship and democracy have begun to shift and this shift has caused a question of the relevancy of journalism to democratic processes. In a democratic society journalism plays the role of the government watchdog. The effectiveness of society’s watchdog is now being challenged and in turn alternating the structure of the current democratic society. Many critical theorists of the press during the beginning of the 20th century were concerned with finding appropriate forms of public regulation of the press and journalism to ensure that journalists are writing “news and information about public affairs which sustains and nurtures citizen information, understanding and engagement and thereby a democratic polity” (Cushion and Franklin, 2015: 75) (Dahlgren, Splichal 2016). Journalism is a political entity that influences and informs the public. It is meant to work as a source of public information that helps and does not hinder the general public specifically in political processes. The article

    Read More

  • Democracy and the Internet

    1562 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the times change, so does the latest technology. In the mid-1900's it was the television, before that the radio, and now in the late-20th and 21st century we have the internet. With the coming of every new media outlet audiences and media moguls migrate. Along with the migrations are the politicians who try to use the new form of media to more easily reach the public. It's come to the point where the internet increasingly work with democracy directly; some elections in the United States even going so far as to hold online polling in a general election. "Online voting is increasingly making its way int our political process," writes Vote.com President Dick Morris, "the 2000 Arizona Democratic Primary tallied 39,942 online votes," (Morris 1034). However, should the internet really be used to such degrees in the case of democracy? There is an ongoing debate among scholars on the topic. One thing to consider is whether or not the many accusations stating that the internet is an aid to terrorism outweigh the positive effects of how the internet has strengthened democracy and has had a crucial part in turning oppressed nations into less oppressed, democratic states. On the subject of terrorism being aided by the internet, making it easier for terrorist factions leaders to inform their people, could it not be argued that these factions leaders could use other means of communication, maybe only a little less effectively and therefore nullifying the accusation that the internet is the culprit? After extensive research, it's clear that the internet does not harm democracy; on the contrary, the internet strengthens it in a way that no other form of media has done before.

    Read More

  • Essay On Role Of Media In Politics

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Let 's first take a look at the media 's most obvious role. We all use the media to inform us. Here, the media report news and information to the general public. This is the most significant role of the media in a democracy because citizens play a crucial role in the political process and must be informed in order to make educated political choices. The media, therefore, must do a thorough and impartial job when informing the public on all government activities and political events. Elections pose a special challenge for

    Read More

  • Role Of Media And Democracy Essay

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are numbered of news channels that have maximum coverage throughout the country. Media contribute a lot to develop public knowledge but even after years of success, media could not alter public’s attitude towards issues. Media should discourage smoothly such attitude of public. Demonstrations and protests are good to increase pressure towards the solution of any problem, but there should be a proper way to express which should result oriented.

    Read More

More about The Role of the Mass Media in Ghana’s Democracy

Open Document