Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mass Communications
Advisor(s)
Srivi Ramasubramanian
Keywords
African Media;Ghana Journalism;Hierarchy of Influences Model;Political Economy of Media;Press Freedom Index;Self-Censorship
Subject Categories
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This research draws on the broad frameworks of the Hierarchy of Influences model (Shoemaker & Reese, 1996) and Political Economy of media to investigate the state of press freedom in Ghana. Specifically, it focuses on factors contributing to Ghana’s decline on the global press-freedom index as measured by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and how those factors have influenced journalistic role enactment and self-censorship. Through in-depth interviews of 28 Ghanaian journalists and a critical analysis of Ghana's constitutional and legal protections for journalists, the study explores the overarching question: What are the factors contributing to Ghana’s steady decline on the global press freedom index and how can we understand this decline in relation to journalistic roles and the Political Economy of media? Key themes emerged from the interviews including the political, economic, security and the legal influences on press freedom and journalistic editorial independence. Also of concern to the participants is the growing influence of traditional forces such as chiefs on the freedoms of journalists and media institutions to operate independently. By contextualizing the Hierarchy of Influences model as well as the Political Economy of the Ghanaian media through journalists editorial freedoms, this research expands on these theories in the Ghanaian context and provide a greater understanding of the decline of press freedom in Ghana. It also examines local and international policies governing the media in arriving at an explanation of the state of the Ghanaian media. By amplifying the voices of Ghanaian journalists via an analysis of the legal, institutional, sociocultural as well as international factors shaping the media landscape, the study highlights areas for improvement and potential policy interventions to safeguard press freedom in the country.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Tetteh, Benjamin P., "SILENCING CRITICAL JOURNALISM: THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SECURITY THREATS FACING JOURNALISTS AND THE RESORT TO SELF-CENSORSHIP." (2025). Dissertations - ALL. 2101.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2101
