Many commentators on the 2012 elections have commended the media for the role they played and contribution they made for transparent, free and fair polls. That claim is true. They media did a terrific job. Yes, they brought to the people, news of order at the some polling centres, and problems with equipment at others. They brought live scenes of ballots being counted and winners being announced, to living rooms and shacks in equal measure across the nation and beyond. There were some unnecessary lapses in certain aspects of the media’s performance covering the elections and its aftermath. The lapses … Continue reading How the media in Ghana fared on election day 2012

The last twenty years have been the best for the media in Ghana. The media became very active, when Ghanaians in a 1992 referendum voted for a constitution and democratic governance. The constitution, in chapter twelve, guaranteed freedom of speech and of the media. Subsequently, a number of private newspapers emerged that same year. Private radio and television followed in 1995 after deregulation of broadcasting. Now, after more than twenty years, we have hundreds of privately owned media stations across the country. They include newspapers, radio, television and new media. The picture was very different for all that period preceding … Continue reading A Review of the Media’s Performance in Ghana