Newspaper framing of the electoral processes leading to the 2012 general elections in Ghana

Abstract

This study examinedhow the Daily Graphicand the Daily Guide framed the coverage of the electoral processes leading to the 2012 general elections in Ghana. The communication theories of agenda setting and framing were used to conduct the study. Media coverage of the electoral processes leading to elections are of critical relevance in determining the outcome and acceptance of election results and that is why this research seeks to analyze how the media covered the framing of the electoral processes of training of election officials, voter education, demarcation, registration, exhibition, transfer of votes and filing of nominationsin Ghana during the period leading to the 2012 elections. A total of 3,559 paragraphs was analyzed in both newspapers for this study. Through content analysis, the study showed that registration was the electoral process that received the most coverage in both newspapers. The study also found out thatnine frames were used by both the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide to frame the electoral processes and out of these nine frames, seven frames were used to frame the registration process alone. The study also revealed that both newspapers focused much of their attention on the registration process to the neglect of the other processes hereby setting the agenda for the public to see registration as the most important of all the processes. Again, the study revealed that whiles the Daily Graphic took an informative stance most of the times in its coverage of the electoral processes, the Daily Guide tend to sensationalize its coverage of these electoral processes.Finally, the study showed that both newspapers did not only tell the electorate the electoral processes that are important but also subtly influenced the general public’s perception of the electoral processes by the use of frames.