Determinants of News Selection in the Ghanaian Print Media: A Study of the Daily Graphic

Abstract

This article discusses the criteria that govern the selection of news in the print media (in Ghana). The article focused particularly on the front page news of the Daily Graphic. The study also assesses what informs the choice of certain news items over others and why some news items are presented prominently on the front page over others. Three methods were used in this study: a survey, content analysis and in-depth interviews. Seventy-two editions of the Daily Graphic and in all, 202 news items were content analysed. The study found that although news values are vital in news selectivity, the Daily Graphic does not use news values as the sole criterion for news selection. What is important is whether a particular news story is in the interest of the public and that it has a high range. Thus, the consequence of such a news story affects the majority of Ghanaians. The finding also suggest that news values as criteria for news selection by the media in the West and replicated by African media should be given a second look.