Browsing by Author "Tietaah, G."
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Item Framing the Accra Floods: How the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide Newspapers Covered the Flooding in Accra.(University of Ghana, 2015-10) Ayikpa, G.; Tietaah, G.; Framing the Accra Floods: How the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide Newspapers Covered the Flooding in AccraFlooding is undoubtedly one of the global natural disasters with the most debilitating effects on both humans and other living things alike. It is the leading and most frequent cause of natural disaster fatalities worldwide. It has become such a global concern that both developed and developing countries give maximum attention to it in finding ways of minimizing, if not preventing, its effects. The objective of this study is not to describe the impact of flood events on human populations in terms of mortality, injury and displacement but to look at the extent to which the media give prominence to stories of flooding in the capital of Ghana and the angling of the reportage on this natural disaster. The period between 2014 and 2015 has been full of several flooding disasters in Accra with unforgettable loss of lives and property. It was expected of the print media especially to give comprehensive coverage of these occurrences in order to give valuable information about prevention, recovery and mitigation. The focus is on two print media in Ghana; the Daily Graphic and the Daily Guide. The study found out that most of the stories on flooding focused on the loss of human lives and properties. Other aspects of flooding that were highlighted in the newspaper articles include ordeals and challenge of flood victims, effects of flooding on human lives and donations to flood victims. The study further found that nearly 60% of flood stories were placed on the front, centre and back pages of the two newspapers indicating that the two attached prominence to the phenomenon. Findings from the work also suggested that there were no real significant differences between the coverage of Daily Guide and Daily Graphic on the subject. The study concluded by suggesting that journalists must desist from unnecessary sensationalisation of flood-related stories. Rather, they should attach a great deal of professionalism to their reportageItem Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Nursing Mothers towards Hepatitis B as A Childhood Killer Disease: A Survey of Nursing Mothers in Ho, Ghana(University of Ghana, 2015-10) Addo, N.; Tietaah, G.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Communication StudiesThis study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practices of nursing mothers using two postnatal clinics in Ho, in the Volta region of Ghana. The study also looked at their sources of information on health issues. These two postnatal clinics were chosen because they were the most patronised postnatal care centres in the Ho municipality and therefore, allowed for the inclusion of respondents from a broad range of communities and a representative cross-section of demographic backgrounds. The study employed the survey design by which a questionnaire was administered to 200 respondents to find out if the nursing mothers knew about the causes, modes of transmission, symptoms, effects and prevention of Hepatitis B. It also sought to find out if their knowledge of the disease had a direct impact on how they perceived the disease and subsequently, their practices towards the prevention of this disease in their children. The sources of information of these nursing mothers were also looked at in order to determine what their usual and preferred sources of information on the health of their children were. Data was collected using a questionnaire. The study, therefore, used the Health Belief Model. The findings showed that the knowledge level of nursing mothers in the Ho municipality was low. Although most of them knew infection with Hepatitis B could cause death and that there was vaccination against it, their knowledge of the causes, modes of transmission and symptoms was low. Attitudes and practices of nursing mothers were also found to be poor, thus they did not make conscious efforts to prevent Hepatitis B infection of their children. The study also revealed that the usual and most preferred source of information on child health for the majority of them was health workers. Nursing mothers had a low perception of the severity of Hepatitis B and their children’s susceptibility to it. Although most of them knew that vaccination was required to prevent infection, they did not think it was very important. More attention should be given to educating nursing mothers on the dangers and prevention of Hepatitis B as a childhood killer disease. Health workers should also be trained to give more adequate information on Hepatitis B as a childhood killer disease in order to encourage a more proactive attitude towards the disease among nursing mothers.Item Media and climate change in Ghana: A survey of media practitioners knowledge and attitudes to climate change coverage(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Gadzekpo, A.; Tietaah, G.; Segtub, M.Climate change has been identified as a global concern and a threat to developing countries such as Ghana. Even though several steps have been taken internationally, nationally and locally to improve public awareness, understanding on and response to climate change, there is stilI insufficient public knowledge on climate change and a lack of urgency in responding to what has been described as the biggest challenge facing humanity. Among the key interlocutors expected to help communicate on climate and influence public perceptions is the media. The media are not only influential in the (re)construction and promotion of climate change discussions they are critical influencers of policy and interventions that seek to motivate behavioural change. Studies on how media cover climate change have however mostly concentrated on Western societies. This paper goes beyond this narrow geographical focus by surveying the attitudes, knowledge and coverage of 160 media practitioner sampled from four different ecological zones- Tamale (savannah), Accra (urban), Sunyani (forest) and Keta (coastal). Findings from the research reveal that although there is near consensus among media practitioners in Ghana that climate change is a major problem deserving of urgent attention, their knowledge and understanding on the science of climate change as well as commitment to coverage is still weakItem Mediating the climate change message: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of media practitioners in Ghana(African Journalism Studies, 2018-07) Gadzekpo, A.; Tietaah, G.; Segtub, M.While scientific evidence on the human agency of climate change seems compelling, public conviction and capacity to adapt and adopt mitigation measures remain tentative among developing countries and poor populations. It throws into question the presumed essentiality of the media in Africa in increasing public awareness and informing local policy responses. This study pivots on the argument that in order to be effective stewards and purveyors of climate change information, media practitioners must themselves be demonstrably informed and keenly committed. To determine this the study used the KAP survey model to assess the understanding (Knowledge), predisposition (Attitude) and response (Practice) of Ghanaian journalists to reporting climate change. The findings showed high awareness, but low knowledge, high conviction but low engagement of media practitioners and institutions towards addressing the incidence and consequences of climate change. In effect, awareness and empathy are prerequisite factors, but they do not inevitably lead to knowledge and engagement in competently mediating the climate message. The lack of compelling correlations between specific attributes of KAP of climate change also raises doubts about the predictive power of individual vis-à-vis institutional loci of control in defining and driving specific subjects up the news values chain.Item The Postal System in the Era of Technological Advancement in Communication: A Case Study of Ghana Post(University of Ghana, 2015-03) Amponsah, C.; Tietaah, G.; University of Ghana, Education School of Information and Communication, Studies Department of Communication StudiesThe world is today referred to, metaphorically, as a global village and a key contributing factor is the advances in technology. A great deal of these advances is happening in the communication sector. Faster and more economical ways of technology-aided communication keep on flooding the social and corporate market. The postal system until the introduction of the internet was a key player in the communication industry as the majority of people communicated through hard copy mails. The question is, what has become of the postal system in these times when there is fast technological advancement in the area of communication? This study was designed to provide answers to this question. Grounded within the framework of three interrelated change theories, the study employed a qualitative approach in gathering data. Specifically, in-depth interviews were conducted with key and relevant management staff of the Ghana Postal Services Corporation. The study found out that Ghana Post has been affected by technological advancement in communication as communication via hardcopy mail has gone down drastically. However, its services are being patronized extensively by the corporate institutions that send correspondence to their clients. Also, Ghana Post has taken advantage of the advance in technology to improve their services, including the ability to verify an address before it is posted to avoid mails that are sent back to senders. There has also been a change in the traditional role of the post office since Ghana Post is now into insurance as well as telecommunication as part of its response to the changing communication needs of the public.Item Public Response to the National Sanitation Day Campaign: A Survey of Madina Residents(University of Ghana, 2016-05) Gyasi, A.A.; Tietaah, G.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Communication StudiesThe National Sanitation Day (NSD) Campaign was launched by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to resolve poor sanitation issues in Ghana. The campaign included a communication objective to encourage behaviour change towards good sanitation practice. The study was designed to gauge public attitude and response to the NSD campaign by surveying residents of Madina, a demographically heterogeneous community in Accra. The Multistage cluster sampling procedure was used to select 200 respondents for the study. The research design and questionnaire constructs were driven by the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in the study. The key findings were that all respondents were aware and had some knowledge of the Campaign. Also, their major sources of receiving information on the campaign included television, radio and information vans. On the contrary, newspapers, family and friends were the least sources of getting information on the campaign. The campaign was found to have caused a behaviour change among majority of the residents towards proper sanitation practice. Other findings were that respondents’ demographics such as age and level of education did not have much influence on their preferred means of getting information and the medium through which they first heard of the campaign. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the MLGRD intensifies the campaign by employing other communication activities and also enforcing laws for all citizens’ participation in the sanitation exercise.Item Radio Redux: Audience Participation and the Reincarnation of Radio for Development in Africa(Journal of Developing Societies, 2019) Tietaah, G.; Amoakohene, M.; Tuurusong, D.Along with the valorization of “beneficiary” participation in development praxis, contemporary communication scholarship has tended toward internet-enabled technologies and applications. This study breaks ranks with the implicit loss of faith in the capacity of the so-called legacy media, and radio in particular. It argues that precisely those advances in new technologies, together with the peculiar media ecol ogy of Ghana and Africa generally, are the bases for prenotions about the enduring relevance of radio. To verify this claim, focus group discussions were conducted among radio audiences in Ghana. The findings suggest three factors for a renaissance of radio as a development communication medium: its contribution to democratic pluralism; the use of local languages that enables social inclusion; its appropriation of new technologies for audience participatory engagement. Radio has thus evolved from the powerful effects notions of a one-way transmitter of information to an increasingly more interactive, audience-centric medium.Item Radio Redux: Audience Participation and the Reincarnation of Radio for Development in Africa(Journal of Developing Societies, 2019-06-01) Tietaah, G.; Amoakohene, M.; Tuurusong, D.Along with the valorization of “beneficiary” participation in development praxis, contemporary communication scholarship has tended toward internet-enabled technologies and applications. This study breaks ranks with the implicit loss of faith in the capacity of the so-called legacy media, and radio in particular. It argues that precisely those advances in new technologies, together with the peculiar media ecology of Ghana and Africa generally, are the bases for prenotions about the enduring relevance of radio. To verify this claim, focus group discussions were conducted among radio audiences in Ghana. The findings suggest three factors for a renaissance of radio as a development communication medium: its contribution to democratic pluralism; the use of local languages that enables social inclusion; its appropriation of new technologies for audience participatory engagement. Radio has thus evolved from the powerful effects notions of a one-way transmitter of information to an increasingly more interactive, audience-centric medium.Item Social Marketing as an Hiv/Aids Communication Tool: A Case Study of the Stop Aids, Love L ife Campaign by the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation (Gsmf)(University of Ghana, 2004-09) Tetteh, E.; Tietaah, G.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Communication StudiesThis work sought to find out whether social marketing works as an HIV/AIDS communication tool. Theories in social marketing were therefore used to assess the impact of the Stop AIDS, Love Life campaign. Previous campaigns in some third world countries also provided examples of the use of social marketing principles in HIV/AIDS campaigns. The Stop AIDS, Love Life campaign was compared to these campaigns to identify similarities and differences and to assess the impact of the Ghanaian experience. The case study methodology was used. Analyses of data showed that like the other social marketing campaigns, the Stop AIDS, Love Life campaign used development, implementation, and evaluation techniques in social marketing for relative successes and failures. Condom usage in Ghana, for instance, increased by 200% a year after the inception of the campaign although the campaign failed to get young adults to abstain and delay sex. Discussions of the findings proved that the campaign was successful in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS through television, radio and posters. However, participatory communication channels were less used and less popular and this led to failure to meet some campaign objectives. Recommendations were made for the use of more participatory communication channels synonymous with traditional African systems and the need for the avoidance of situations where Western communication policies were implemented in Africa without taking cognizance of the needs of the people and their peculiar situation.