R 121129Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7378

UNCLAS ACCRA 001562 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/PD, AF/W, AF/FO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AF GH KPAO
 
SUBJECT: GHANAIAN MEDIA SHAPE PEACEFUL ELECTION 
 
SUMMARY: Contrary to general concern that some 
news outlets, especially radio, might stir 
violent reactions before, during and after 
Ghana's presidential elections, the local media 
covered Election Day and immediate results with 
professionalism and even-handedness, encouraging 
a peaceful public response.  Embassy Accra played 
a role.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶1. Radio a Cause for Joy:  During the months 
leading up to Ghana's presidential elections many 
elements of Ghanaian society, not least of all 
the media itself, were critical of the 
inflammatory tone of political news coverage. 
The largest complaint was reserved for radio 
station call-in programs, which allowed random 
and "serial" callers to make inappropriate 
statements and incited angry responses. (Reftel 
Accra 1510).  Throughout Election Day, however, 
media sources carried out their role 
professionally. 
 
¶2. Most notably, Accra station Joy FM (full 
national coverage) took the lead for all media in 
presenting balanced, factual, and appropriate 
news.  Embassy Accra found Joy's online 
tabulation of results to be reliable, and posted 
more swiftly than results from the Electoral 
Commission (EC).  On air, Joy and other media 
adamantly clarified, at every turn, the fact that 
any results being announced were "provisional" or 
"projected", and reminded callers, including 
party officials, to attach these words to their 
statements. 
 
¶3. GJA Takes a Stand:  Following Election Day the 
two major parties called press conference after 
press conference, bandying about their own 
numbers and assertions of victory.  The Ghana 
Journalists Association (GJA) put a stop to this 
by announcing a ban on further press conferences, 
insisting that their elections headquarters would 
no longer be available for news conferences by 
any political party, thus quelling public 
accusations. 
 
¶4. The National Media Commission (NMC) was given 
prominent placement in print and on radio for 
their call to the media against speculating about 
the results.  The NMC took pains to remind the 
public, especially journalists, that the EC was 
the only credible source from which results 
should be taken. 
 
¶5. State-owned media, represented in print by the 
Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times, and on-air 
by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, did an 
outstanding job of ensuring that each party 
received equal daily coverage.  When measured 
against the number of votes received by the 
smaller parties (between 1.4% and .08% for six of 
the eight parties) this self-discipline in 
providing coverage to the smaller parties is 
remarkable.  Some concern exists about the number 
of paid advertisements and program-length 
infomercials the ruling party was able to air on 
state television prior to the elections; however, 
the news coverage was equitable. 
 
¶6. Embassy role: Embassy outreach provided some 
assistance to the media for fulfilling their 
mandate of responsible journalism.  These include 
the five workshops by U.S. freelance journalist 
Herb Frazier, whose August visit trained 
journalists in elections reporting in four 
regions of Ghana; the October visit by U.S. 
political system speakers Roslyn O'Connell and 
David Lublin, whose lectures tied the U.S. 
Elections process with the Ghanaian Elections 
process; several Ghanaian media participants in 
the Foreign Press Center elections tours to study 
coverage of the U.S. elections; and a grant to 
the NMC to produce Guidelines for Fair and 
Equitable Coverage of Political Parties by the 
State-Owned Media. 
 
¶8. Two weeks before the elections, AMB convened 
eight senior news editors from print, radio, 
television and electronic media for a lunch and 
general conversation.  The most significant 
discussion to arise involved the media's plans 
for announcing election results.  The 
participants came at the discussion from 
divergent views and, after much friendly 
disagreement, arrived at the consensus that 
regardless of how each news outlet chose to 
announce results, the words "provisional" or 
"projected" needed to be attached, and that the 
EC was the sole authority to provide certified 
results.  It seemed at the time that the media 
heavies had not previously discussed or openly 
considered this facet of elections journalism; by 
the time E-Day came around, however, it was clear 
that Ghana's media had considered every aspect of 
promoting a peaceful election. 
 
 
DGTEITELBAUM