THE main functions of the media are to inform, entertain and educate the people. Besides these key functions, the media have, as a priority duty, to set the agenda for society and, thankfully, this authority has never been lost on the inky fraternity.
Walter Lippmann, in his 1922 classic, ‘Public Opinion’, noted, inter alia, that the news media were a primary source of those pictures in our heads about the larger world of public affairs, a world that, for most citizens, was “out of reach, out of sight, out of mind”.
He argued further that what we knew about the world was largely based on what the media decided to tell us. More specifically, the result of that mediated view of the world was that the priorities of the media strongly influenced the priorities of the public and that element prominent on the media became prominent in the public mind.
It is from this standpoint that the Daily Graphic agrees with the concern expressed by the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, over the media’s obsession with politics, which had resulted in a situation where other equally important national issues had been pushed to the periphery.
We must state clearly that we are in no mood for any regulation to curtail the provisions in the Constitution that guarantee freedom and independence of the media. This, however, does not mean that 17 years after the coming into force of multi-party democracy in the country, we cannot step back to take stock of our activities in order to improve upon the governance system.
These days, newspaper publications and discussions on radio and phone-ins concentrate on political issues, to the neglect of equally relevant issues on education, health and the economy.
The support of the Daily Graphic for the minister’s concern should not be misconstrued to mean that the media should not hold the government and other public office holders responsible and accountable to the people of Ghana.
Our only worry lies in the mix of politics and the other issues in the media because as of now it appears the news media have an obsession with politics, especially issues involving the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In a situation where the media are awash with news on accusations and counter-accusations from the two leading political parties, how can we ensure a common feeling of nationalism in these circumstances?
The Daily Graphic thinks the media can help to defuse the tension in the system by creating elements, symbols and challenges with which we can, with pride, identify as a nation.
Since the media are regarded as effective agents in opinion formation, the Daily Graphic calls on journalists and media practitioners to break the monotony of political discussions in the media and draw attention to challenges in other spheres of endeavour.
The over-concentration of discussions on politicians will not free airtime and space to draw attention to classrooms without teachers, under-tree schools, hospitals without doctors and youth and graduate unemployment.
Newspaper reviews and phone-ins have enabled the people to discuss freely to decide what type of development they want. Certainly, this must be encouraged, but journalists must moderate the process, so that the development process takes into account all the needs of society.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, urges the media to focus on the most important challenges of our times, such as poverty, disease, unemployment and corruption.
This agenda the media must set to influence our understanding and perspective on the issues.
For, whether we like it or not, the pictures of reality created by the media have implications for personal behaviour and we cannot take anything for granted.
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