Abstract:
The broadcast media occupy a significant place in developed and growing
democracies worldwide, providing media consumers with diverse entertainment
and information products, impacting culture and helping define social reality. There
is an increasing global demand for broadcast media. As the use of radio broadcast
media increases in Ghana, the concern about the standard of journalistic practice
has become a problem. The study investigated the knowledge and practice of media
ethics by broadcast journalists in three radio stations in the Cape Coast Metropolis.
A qualitative case study, using key informant interviews, observation and focus
group discussions was adopted. The study was hinged on the principles of media
ethics namely; Utilitarianism, Golden Mean principle, Categorical Imperative and
the Pluralistic theory of Value. It was found that though journalists were highly
aware of the ethical principles that guide the practice of journalism, their practice
do not reflect their knowledge. Also, radio presenters who worked in national and
international media houses had a huge influence on the presentation styles of the
stations that syndicated their news and programmes. It was revealed that media
managers had an undue influence on media content, and that the stations served as
the mouthpiece of the institutions that operated them. It recommended that media
regulators should ensure that continuous training in ethics is complimented by
provision of job and personal security of journalists by media owners and
government.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Communication and Media studies, Faculty of
Foreign Languages Education and Communication, submitted to the School
of Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of master of philosophy (Media Studies)
NOVEMBER, 2019