Content Analysis of Agricultural Information Coverage By the Ghanaian National Newspaper, Daily- Graphic From January 2014 - December 2015.

Abstract

Following reports on poor accessibility of agricultural information and its consequential declining in agricultural growth in the country, this study sought to investigate the role played by the stateowned newspaper (Daily Graphic) to improving access to agricultural information in the country. Content analysis was used as the research design of this study. Secondary data was collected from the Daily Graphic newspaper for the analysis of this study between the period of January 2014 and December 2015. A sample size of 192 editions out of a total population of 576 editions of the newspaper was analysed during the period. The study revealed that only 3% of the total news published by the newspaper during the period was agricultural news. Agricultural news published in the newspaper during the period under study was in six categories namely; hard news, editorial, opinion, advertisement, letter to editor and feature. The highest frequency of agricultural news covered were found in the categories of Advertisements and Hard news, thus 61% and 31% respectively followed by 2% in the editorial category, 4% in the Opinion category and 1% in both the Feature and Letter to the Editor categories each. Ninety-five percent (95%) of the agricultural news published were reported at the less read pages of the newspaper, whiles agricultural news items reported at the front pages, back pages and the centre spread pages of the newspaper were also 1%, 3% and 1 % respectively. The study recommended amongst other things that managers of the state newspaper must engage line reporters or journalists purposely for reporting agricultural sensitive news in the country in order to improve upon its agricultural information coverage.