Gendered News Coverage and Female Parliamentary Candidates in Ghana: A Critical Analysis of Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times Newspapers
Abstract
This study looked into how female parliamentary candidates fared in the 2016 general election in Ghana. The frequency of media coverage and the prominence accorded to female parliamentary candidates were ascertained through an analysis of the Ghanaian Times and the Daily Graphics. The study also examine the framing of female parliamentary candidates in the reporting of the Ghanaian Times and Daily Graphics. There were 59 publications for the Daily Graphics and 31 for the Ghanaian Times, making it a total of 90 publications. The July 1, 2016–December 7, 2016 editions were used for the study. According to the study, the two newspapers covered parliamentary candidates more frequently overall, although they covered female candidates less frequently. The study also showed that when it came to giving priority to the coverage of female parliamentary candidates during the 2016 parliamentary election, the two national newspapers performed poorly. Of the eight front page articles about parliamentary candidates that the newspapers published, just two of them featured female candidates; the other six featured male candidates. The results showed that, based on the descriptions of female parliamentary candidates in their reporting, the Ghanaian Times and the Daily Graphics both stereotyped the female candidates. The framing theory (Goffman, 1974) etc., serve as the study's foundation. Gender-based Non-Governmental Organizations should create award programs for media outlets and journalists who cover more events that encourage women to enter the political sphere.
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