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Introduction
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the nature and extent of environmental coverage by newspapers in Ghana. The study started from the following assumption: Since the general public receives much of its information from the media, the media determine, to a considerable extent, the kind and amount of environmental information that reaches the public and that may; in turn, serve as a basis for the public's actions. The press plays an important role in setting the agenda for public debate on a wide range of issues, including the environment.
Environmental news coverage in Ghana can best be understood within the context of the press's gatekeeping activities; the process of newsmaking evolves from institutional and organizational factors. In this study; both the extent of coverage and the characteristics of content were examined. The main method was quantitative content analysis of newspapers. A longitudinal approach was adopted to assess how environmental coverage fared in selected papers over a period of six months in 1997 (June through November).
The newspapers used for the content analysis included the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times, the only two state-owned dailies. The privately owned Statesman and Ghanaian Chronicle also were examined. The latter two were chosen because they take an investigative approach and offer commentary on contemporary issues (1).
A systematic simple random sampling technique was used to select news items that addressed the environment between June 5 and November 29, 1997. Since there were no computer databases of articles from which a sample could be drawn, it was necessary to limit the number of editions studied each month to an average of eight. Altogether, 48 newspaper editions were selected-12 for each of the four newspapers (Table 1).
To study environmental coverage, it is necessary first to understand what is meant by the "environment." In this essay, the term "environment" comprises air quality, land quality, water quality, population growth and control, waste disposal, noise pollution, wildlife conservation, environmental additives, and the general or global environment. (See the sidebar on page 31 for a detailed list of environmental topics.)
A total of 152 news items on the environment were identified in the 48 editions examined. The state newspapers had 115 news items, and the privately owned papers 37....