Wikipedia:New pages patrol/Source guide discussions/Ghana

This is a request for input about the general reliability of news sources in the Ghanaian media landscape. This discussion is intended to be part of a series of discussions assessing the reliability of news sources in a range of regions and topics currently not widely discussed at RSN, and particularly those affected by systemic bias, with the primary intent of distributing editor knowledge and providing a consensus-driven resource for new page reviewers to use when evaluating sources in articles about subjects with which they are not personally familiar and which they are ill-equipped to research on their own. Results will be used to further expand the New page patrol source guide; in the case of particularly strong consensuses, they may also be used to expand the perennial sources list. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 19:12, 12 February 2020 (UTC) signing so that the RfC template works properly

This discussion will open with a brief overview of the media landscape of the region. While corrections to the overview are appreciated, the body of the discussion should be reserved for discussions on individual sources, which are separated into subsections. As the intent of this discussion is not to conclusively deprecate or green-light sources that have been the focus of prior discussions, the standard four question format is not appropriate here. Editors should phrase their votes as Generally reliable, Generally unreliable, or Unclear, coupled with arguments for these assessments.

Introduction

Ghana is ranked relatively well in press freedom by Reporters Without Borders, listed at 27th overall, and only lost the top ranking in Africa in 2019. A third of the media in the country is either owned directly by the state, or by businesspeople with close ties to high level politicians. The top four media companies (Graphic Communications Group Limited, New Times Corporation, Western Publications Limited, Business and Financial Times Limited) collectively reach 95.9% of the country's print media readership, and 72.1% of readers prefer state-run newspapers for news and/or entertainment. Television media ownership is also heavily concentrated, albeit with a greater proportion of private ownership: Multimedia Group, Osei Kwame with U2 Company Ltd. /Despite Group of Companies, TV3 Network/ Media General Ghana Limited, and the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation collectively account for 77% of viewership. Radio news is more diverse, with the top four companies receiving only 44.8% of listenership.

Modern Ghanaian politics has been dominated by two parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress. A 2012 study found that state media skewed slightly positive in its reporting about the government, whereas private media was more neutral. Coverage of the then-opposition NPP was relatively neutral across state and private media, but private media coverage of the then-governing NDC skewed heavily negative (p. 77). It is not clear how these trends have shifted in the last 8 years, although it is worth noting that the NPP is now the governing party.

Evaluation of sources

The following are a preliminary list of sources for discussion selected due to their high circulation, high levels of reported consumer trust, or their prominence in a relevant minority population in Ghana with a circulation of at least a few thousand copies per issue.

News agencies

AllAfrica

Not exclusively a Ghanaian source, but extensively used in Ghana. Content hosted on their website is either republished from other news sources with attribution or written by their own staff.

Voting and discussion (AllAfrica)

• Generally reliable however, we should use the original publisher where possible so as to give full attribution. The articles published by AllAfrica seem to be here, and, with a read of some of the articles, it seems a reliable publisher. This website should be approached with due diligence, but is generally reliable. Regards, Willbb234^Talk (please {{ping}} me in replies) 22:02, 13 February 2020 (UTC)
• Generally reliable, although syndicated content should be cited to the original publisher. Their syndication partners are encouraging: although there are some sources I don't recognize, the ones that I do see are top quality: Premium Times, Vanguard Nigeria, and Deutsche Welle. It's worth noting that they also republish some UN content, so we should be careful to assess the source's independence on a case-by-case basis. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 18:15, 19 February 2020 (UTC)

Ghana News Agency

State-run news agency founded in 1957 by the Nkrumah government as the first news agency in Subsaharan Africa. Its original reporting primarily focuses on domestic issues, whereas its international reporting partners with UPI, Xinhua, Press Trust of India, and Yonhap (p. 92).

Voting and discussion (Ghana News Agency)

• Given its partnership with Xinhua for international reporting, I think that this source's reliability is unclear and needs to be evaluated closely on a case-by-case basis. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 22:40, 21 February 2020 (UTC)

Print media

Business and Financial Times

Privately owned business publication. Has been awarded twice by Ghana’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust for being the Best in Social Security Reporting.

Voting and discussion (Business and Financial Times)

• Generally reliable as a high profile news publication without any obvious controversies or conflicts of interest. An Internet search suggests that they're cited quite a bit by The Chronicle, which I've assessed as reliable elsewhere in this discussion. They're also regularly syndicated by Microsoft News and cited by GNA (although the reliability of those outlets is less clear to me). _signed, Rosguill ^talk 22:28, 24 February 2020 (UTC)

Daily Democrat

Privately owned, described as having a significant pro-NDC editorial position (p. 90, p. 112 note small sample size).

Daily Dispatch

Privately owned, described as having no discernible consistent political bias in their editorial position (p. 90, p. 112 ). It has the seventh largest newspaper readership in Ghana.

Daily Graphic

Founded in 1950, it is a state-owned paper, and as of 2012 the most widely read newspaper in Ghana. Per the 2012 study, the Graphic is roughly neutral with a very slight pro-government and even slighter pro-NDC tendency in its reporting (p. 78, p. 112). The paper also runs a significant amount of ads placed by the government (p. 80). It is noted as having a very fast turnaround time for reporting assignments as compared to the Daily Guide, which can result in articles not receiving as much editorial oversight while also thus often being the first to report breaking news (p. 93-94).

The Daily Graphic was previously discussed in this 2019 RfC, which was closed as no consensus due to low participation.

Voting and discussion (Daily Graphic)

• Generally reliable since 2006 per RfC. Unclear previous to that. buidhe 20:09, 12 February 2020 (UTC)
• Generally reliable per the RfC and per my own research, with a caution against citing breaking news stories. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 21:17, 12 February 2020 (UTC)
• Generally reliable (2006–present) and unclear (1950–2005) per my comment in the 2019 RfC, mostly reproduced below:

Newspapers of record are assumed to be generally reliable unless there is some reason to doubt their reputation for accuracy or fact-checking, such as low press freedom. Since the newspaper was founded in 1950, a substantial portion of its history (1950–2005) is affected by low press freedom, and warrants more caution. The post-2006 quotes still raise concerns regarding editorial independence, and the Daily Graphic should be considered a biased or opinionated source, with attribution recommended for political and controversial topics.

See Sunrise's research in the RfC for details. — Newslinger talk 01:35, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

Daily Guide

Privately-owned newspaper, second largest readership, considered a top brand by the Centre for Brand Analysis Ghana. Per the 2012 study, the Guide had a very anti-government skew. Graphics on p. 78 and p. 112 contradict each other as to the degree of its pro-NPP skew, with p. 78 displaying a moderate skew and p. 112 displaying a significant skew in favor of the NPP. It also does far more human interest reporting than the other three newspapers assessed (p. 78). The newspaper infrequently runs ads placed by the government (p. 80).

Daily Post

Privately owned, described as having a pro-NDC editorial position (p. 90).

Daily Searchlight

Privately owned, pro-NPP editorial skew (p. 112).

Ebony

Human interest publication.

Ghanaian Lens

Political magazine.

The Ghanaian Chronicle

Privately-owned newspaper. Per the 2012 study, the Chronicle was one of the most neutral of the four newspapers assessed, with a very slight anti-government and pro-NPP skew (p. 78) Its owner, Nana Kofi Comsoon is a reputed journalist.

Voting and discussion (The Ghanaian Chronicle)

• Generally reliable per the research indicating that they are one of the most impartial of Ghana's news sources. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 21:18, 12 February 2020 (UTC)

Ghanaian Times

State-owned newspaper. Per the 2012 study, the Times had a moderate pro-government and significant pro-NDC slant in its reporting (p. 78, p. 112). The paper also runs some ads placed by the government (p. 80). As of 2017, it is the third most popular newspaper; per a 2003 study, it was the 7th most trusted newspaper.

Graphic Business

Financial newspaper published by the same parent company as The Daily Graphic

Graphic Showbiz

Entertainment newspaper published by the same parent company as The Daily Graphic

Graphic Sports

Sports newspaper published by the same parent company as The Daily Graphic

Heritage

Political magazine.

Independent

Privately-owned newspaper.

The Mirror

Entertainment newspaper published by the same parent company as The Daily Graphic

New Crusading Guide

Privately owned, has run articles with both pro-NDC and pro-NPP skew. (p. 112, note small sample size) Current editor in chief Kweku Baako Jr. has described the current (NPP) president Nana Akufo-Ado as "a good friend", and it is the 10th most read newspaper in Ghana.

Nsɛmpa

Ashanti region newspaper published in English and Akan, owned by the same parent company as The Daily Graphic.

Voting and discussion (Nsɛmpa)

• I think it's relatively unlikely that anyone commenting in this discussion will be able to form much of an independent opinion of this source. I think that it is a reasonable assumption to say that Nsɛmpa's reliability likely mirrors that of The Graphic due to their shared ownership. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 01:57, 27 February 2020 (UTC)

Pioneer

Ashanti region newspaper published in English and Akan.

The Statesman

Privately owned print newspaper, widely seen as a mouthpiece for the NPP and is managed by individuals close to NPP leadership.

Web

CitiFMOnline

Online platform of the privately owned CitiFM, it is the fifth most popular news site and the second most trusted by surveyed Ghanaians.

GhanaWeb

It is the most popular news site in Ghana, and ranks seventh in consumer trust for Ghanaian news websites. Does not produce its own content, but rather aggregates it from other news sources (p. 92)

Voting and discussion (GhanaWeb)

• Unclear the reliability of their articles seems largely dependent on where each given article is syndicated from. Its popularity, however, suggests that for non-controversial subjects, most of its articles are likely reliable enough to contribute toward establishing notability. However, whenever possible we should prefer to cite articles to their original sources. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 21:28, 12 February 2020 (UTC)

ModernGhana.com

Privately owned, seventh most popular news website in the country. Does not produce its own content, but rather aggregates it from other news sources (p. 92).

Voting and discussion (ModernGhana.com)

• Unclear the reliability of their articles seems largely dependent on where each given article is syndicated from. Whenever possible we should prefer to cite the original sources of articles published on this website. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 21:28, 12 February 2020 (UTC)

Myjoyonline

Online portal for Joy FM. Privately owned. Third most popular and second most trusted news website in Ghana.

PeaceFMOnline

Online portal for Peace FM. Privately owned. Fourth most popular and third most trusted news website in Ghana.

Voting and discussion (PeaceFMOnline)

• Unclear – they are treated as a major media outlet, I haven't seen much that directly assesses their reliability. I was able to find some online opinion pieces alleging that they're indiscriminate in their celebrity reporting, but their more serious reporting seems to be WP:NEWSORG quality. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 06:52, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

StarrFMOnline

Online portal for Starr FM. Privately owned. Fourth most trusted news website in Ghana.

Yen.com.gh

Privately owned. Second most popular news website in Ghana.

References

References