The Role Of The Media In Ghana's Foreign Policy

Abstract

The media have often been identified as one of the major competing domestic interests that impact on foreign policies of states. This recognition of the media is seen through the contribution they make to foreign policy. This work takes a look at the media's role and their contribution to foreign policy in the CPP, NLC, PP and the NDC regimes. It also looks at how they helped in shaping foreign policies and their influence on these regimes. The work relied mainly on secondary sources of data in analyzing the media's contribution to foreign policy in Ghana under the above stated regimes. It sees the media as not initiator of foreign policy making but as a mouthpiece that most policies of the governments become known and discussed by the public, thereby helping to shape some of such foreign policies. It further played the role of proselytizing and sensitizing people on government's foreign policies especially during the CPP regime under Nkrumah from 1957-1966. The findings of the research point to the fact that for the public to be very active in enriching government's foreign policies and for the nation to benefit from that, the media need to be proactive in their contribution to the decision-making level of foreign policies of governments.