NMC bemoans low coverage of district level elections
The National Media Commission (NMC) has bemoaned the lack of interest in the coverage of district level elections (DLEs) by the media, particularly newspapers and radio stations.
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It said while DLEs were not given prominence at all on the front pages of newspapers, they received very insignificant coverage on radio.
It stated that most radio stations took their programming from the front page stories of the major newspapers.
“Hence, the little attention given to stories on the DLEs in the newspapers may well have influenced the little attention they got on radio,” the commission stated.
In a report entitled, “NMC District Level Election Media Monitoring Report 1”, the commission said, “One would have expected that the DLEs, which affect the masses directly, would have seen significant coverage on radio, which experts suggest is the most important medium of information for the mass of the people.”
The report involved the gathering of data and monitoring of media activities by a team of experts from Ghana and Italy between January 12 and 23, 2015.
The project focused mainly on three areas, including political coverage, which involved monitoring the quantified amount of time dedicated to political parties and independent DLE candidates, and agenda setting by the media.
Neutrality
The NMC said the overall tone of coverage of political actors was neutral.
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“Translated into questions of balance and fairness, this means the media generally presented the facts as they are and did not attempt to be bias in favour of any political party or group,” it stated.
According to the report, the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) saw very significant reportage on television, with more than half of the sports stories focused on the AFCON.
It noted that fire and disaster incidents featured prominently, mainly because a number of high-profile fire disasters occurred during the period.
The disasters, it said, included the fire outbreak at the Ministry of Health’s Central Medical Stores in Tema, the fire at a warehouse containing meters for the Electricity Company of Ghana in Kumasi, at Kokompe, among other such disasters.
“Controversies surrounding the circumstances under which these incidents occurred captured considerable media attention,” the report said.
It expressed reservation at how male sources dominated the news, with very little voice given to female actors, saying that “this perpetuates the marginalisation of women in the news”.
“This could ultimately imply neglect of the concerns of women in the news,” it added.
Use of local language
The report also expressed reservation at the way local language radio stations embellished stories to create a positive or negative tone on political actors and parties.
It added that newspapers focused much of their attention on more crime-related stories, such as the allegation surrounding the missing Metro Mass Transit buses and some officials of the National Service Scheme misapplying public funds.
“Similar attention was given to the allegation that the popular broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, had been accused of rape,” it said.