The Unheard Third: Ghana’s Newspaper Coverage of Voter Apathy and its Implications for Participatory Democracy

Theophilus Peculiar; Noel Nutsugah; Eva Kuupuolo

doi:10.63772/jocmas.v10n1.2

Authors

Theophilus Peculiar University of Media, Arts and Communication Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3330-6070
Noel Nutsugah University of Media, Arts and Communication Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0792-6650
Eva Kuupuolo University of Media, Arts and Communication Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4822-1166

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63772/jocmas.v10n1.2

Keywords:

Elections, Participatory Democracy, Voter Apathy, Media Coverage, Ghana

Abstract

Political actors decry low voter turnout during elections, emphasizing their impact on democratic participation. The media’s role in focusing on the phenomenon of triggering behavioral change cannot be overemphasized. Although scholarly interest in election coverage is growing, little is known about the salience of the media’s coverage of voter apathy, especially in emerging democracies such as Ghana. Through qualitative content analysis and the prism of media salience in agenda-setting, this study analyzed news stories published by two leading Ghanaian newspapers during the 2020 presidential election in Ghana. The study found that the media hardly attaches attention and prominence to voters’ apathy in their electoral coverage, and the valence (tone) is somewhat negative. Much of the media’s focus is on presidential candidates, at the expense of a phenomenon that threatens participatory democracy. The practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Usage Statistics

Abstract Views: 44
PDF Downloads: 11

References

Akoh, B., & Ahiabenu, K. (2012). A journey through 10 countries: Online election coverage in Africa. Journalism Practice, 6(3), 349–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2012.663598 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2012.663598

Al-Rawi, A., & Groshek, J. (2023). A study of intermedia and interorganizational agenda-setting in the news coverage of the Ebola virus on Twitter. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 12(3), 441–453. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00073_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00073_1

Amanor-Ofori, R. (2019). Content Analysis of www.myjoyonline.com and www.graphic.com.gh Coverage of the 2016 General Elections of Ghana (Masters Dissertation). University of Ghana.

Araújo, B., & Prior, H. (2020). Framing political populism: The role of media in framing the election of Jair Bolsonaro. Journalism Practice, 15(2), 226–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1709881 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1709881

Augoustinos, M., Walker, I., & Donaghue, N. (2014). Social cognition: An integrated introduction (3rd ed.). London: Sage.

Avery, J. M. (2015). Does who votes matter? Income bias in voter turnout and economic inequality in the American states from 1980 to 2010. Political Behavior, 37(4), 955–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-015-9302-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-015-9302-z

Canella, G., & Ferrucci, P. (2020). Framing standing rock: Market orientation and television news. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 9(3), 233–251. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00014_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00014_1

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Dahlberg, S., & Solevid, M. (2016). Does Corruption Suppress Voter turnout?*. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 26(4), 489–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2016.1223677 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2016.1223677

Dahmen, N. S. (2020). Behavior notwithstanding: Person perception and news photographs of the two leading candidates in the 2016 presidential election. Newspaper Research Journal, 41(2), 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739532920919829 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0739532920919829

Dassonneville, R., Hooghe, M., & Miller, P. (2017). The impact of compulsory voting on inequality and the quality of the vote. West European Politics, 40(3), 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2016.1266187 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2016.1266187

Devor, J., & Smith, M. R. (2020, September 22). The real truth about voter apathy—and what we all can do about it. Retrieved from The Philadelphia Citizen website: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/voter-apathy-truth/

Diedong, A. L. (2020). Vibrant and safe media landscape in Ghana: Reality or mirage? Journal of African Media Studies, 12(2), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00017_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00017_1

Dumouchel, D. (2023). Raining on the parties’ parade: How media storms disrupt the electoral communicational environment. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 33(2), 163–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2020.1780432 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2020.1780432

Dzisah, W. S. (2018). Social media and elections in Ghana: Enhancing democratic participation. African Journalism Studies, 39(1), 27–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2018.1452774 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2018.1452774

Elliott, R. (2018, January 23). Ghana media measurement report: Top TV, radio, and print outlets in 2017. Retrieved from GeoPoll website: https://www.geopoll.com/blog/ghana-media- measurement-report-top-tv-radio-print-outlets-2017/

Ezinwa, A. C. (2015). When our expectations are met: An analysis of voters’ perception of the media coverage of 2011 general elections in Nigeria. International Journal of African and Asian Studies, 15, 117–141. Retrieved from https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JAAS/article/view/27103/27787

Gondwe, G. (2021). Online incivility, hate speech and political violence in Zambia: Examining the role of online political campaign messages. Journal of African Media Studies, 13(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00032_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00032_1

Graham, T., & Schwanholz, J. (2020). Politicians and political parties’ use of social media in- between elections. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 9(2), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00017_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00017_1

Jones, B. (2019). The lack of listening: News sources in South Africa’s five general elections, 1994–2014. Journalism, 20(8), 1014–1034. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884919845455 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884919845455

Kiousis, S. (2004). Explicating media salience: A factor analysis of New York Times issue coverage during the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Journal of Communication, 54(1), 71– 87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2004.tb02614.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2004.tb02614.x

Kiousis, S. (2011). Agenda-setting and attitudes. Journalism Studies, 12(3), 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670x.2010.501149 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2010.501149

Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2023). Qualitative content analysis: Methods, practice and software (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003213277-57

Larsson, A. O. (2020). Facebook as a “trusted space of everyday communication”: Parties, citizens and direct representation. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 9(2), 127–146. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00019_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00019_1

Lee, S. (2017). Media freedom and social capital. Journal of Media Economics, 30(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/08997764.2017.1282492

Leeson, P. T. (2008). Media freedom, political knowledge, and participation. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 22(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.22.2.155 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.22.2.155

Martin, J. A. (2015). Mobile news use and participation in elections: A bridge for the democratic divide? Mobile Media & Communication, 3(2), 230–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157914550664 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157914550664

Matingwina, S. (2019). Partisan media in a politically charged Zimbabwe: Public and private media framing of 2018 elections. African Journalism Studies, 40(2), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2019.1654534 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2019.1654534

Merrigan, G., & Huston, C. (2015). Communication research methods (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Mouiche, I. (2011). Democratisation and Political Participation of Mbororo in Western Cameroon. Africa Spectrum, 46(2), 71–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971104600203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971104600203

Munoriyarwa, A. (2020). So, who is responsible? A framing analysis of newspaper coverage of electoral violence in Zimbabwe. Journal of African Media Studies, 12(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00011_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00011_1

NCCE. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from https://www.nccegh.org/page/about-us

Ohme, J., de Vreese, C. H., & Albaek, E. (2017). The uncertain first-time voter: Effects of political media exposure on young citizens’ formation of vote choice in a digital media environment. New Media & Society, 20(9), 3243–3265. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817745017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817745017

Osei-Appiah, S. (2019). News media logic and democracy: Strange bedfellows in political news- making practices of private radio stations in Ghana. African Journalism Studies, 40(3), 57– 72. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2020.1731565 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2020.1731565

Oyedemi, T., & Mahlatji, D. (2016). The “born-free” non-voting youth: A study of voter apathy among a selected cohort of South African youth. Politikon, 43(3), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2016.1160857 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2016.1160857

Piccolino, G. (2016). One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Côte d’Ivoire’s 2015 Presidential Polls. Africa Spectrum, 51(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971605100106 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971605100106

Ralph-Morrow, E., Shorrocks, R., & de Geus, R. (2021). Gender and UK elections: The gendered dynamics of campaigns, leadership, voting behaviour and party platforms. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 31(4), 423–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2021.1968415 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2021.1968415

Scott, Z. A. (2023). Replicating the discovery, scrutiny, and Decline Model of Media Coverage in Presidential Primaries. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 33(3), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2021.1942016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2021.1942016

Sikanku, G. E. (2014). Consolidating inter-media agenda-setting research in Ghana: A study of associational relationships among wire, online, and print news media. Journal of Black Studies, 45(5), 396–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934714533966 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934714533966

Staniland, P. (2014). Violence and democracy. Comparative Politics, 47(1), 99–118. https://doi.org/10.5129/001041514813623128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5129/001041514813623128

Temin, J., & Smith, D. A. (2002). The media matters: Evaluating the role of the media in Ghana’s 2000 elections. African Affairs, 101, 585–605. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/101.405.585

Thompson, E. E., & Yeboah, A. A. (2013). Health information from elite to popular media: Are Ghanaian media creating more space for health information/education? Critical Arts, 27(3), 370–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2013.800669 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2013.800669

Thorson, E., Swafford, S., & Kim, E. A. (2017). Newspaper news exposure predicts political participation. Newspaper Research Journal, 38(2), 231–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739532917716445 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0739532917716445

Tromble, R., & Koole, K. (2020). She belongs in the kitchen, not in Congress? Political engagement and sexism on Twitter. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 9(2), 191–214. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00022_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00022_1

Ugangu, W. (2020). Election reporting and githerinization of Kenya’s media. Journal of African Media Studies, 12(3), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00023_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00023_1

van Baalen, S. (2023). Polls of fear? Electoral violence, incumbent strength, and voter turnout in Côte d’Ivoire. Journal of Peace Research, 002234332211479-002234332211479. https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433221147938 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433221147938

Vergne, C. (2011). Turnout in developing countries: The effect of mass media on national voter participation (pp. 1–37). HAL Open Science. Retrieved from HAL Open Science website: https://shs.hal.science/file/index/docid/553622/filename/2009.29.pdf

Visser, J., Konat, B., Duthie, R., Koszowy, M., Budzynska, K., & Reed , C. (2020). Argumentation in the 2016 US presidential elections: Annotated corpora of television debates and social media reaction. Language Resources & Evaluation, 54, 123–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579-019-09446-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579-019-09446-8

von Borzyskowski, I., Daxecker, U., & Kuhn, P. M. (2022). Fear of campaign violence and support for democracy and autocracy. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 39(5), 542–564. https://doi.org/10.1177/07388942211026319 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/07388942211026319

Young, L. E. (2020). Who dissents? Self-efficacy and opposition action after state-sponsored election violence. Journal of Peace Research, 57(1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319886000 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319886000