ABSTRACT
The study examined media advocacy as practiced by Civil Society organizations in pushing for development agenda in Ghana. The study employed an exploratory research design and a sample size of three(3) CSOs namely Ghana Integrity Initiative, Media Foundation for West Africa and the Centre for Democratic Development using the purposive sampling technique. Underpinned by the Agenda Setting and the Two-step flow theory, interviews were conducted for data collection. Interviews were then transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis approach. The findings revealed that, CSOs use various strategies accompanied with different media forms depending on their target audience and the specific issue at hand. It also found that media advocacy plays a significant role in their work towards development as it reaches a wider audience in the shortest possible time. The outcome of their media advocacy, either results in a policy or behavioral change, contributing to the development agenda in Ghana. It also found that the use of social media for media advocacy cannot be overlooked in this era of smart phone usage especially in serving as a tool and a platform for building relationship with media practitioners.
The study recommended that further studies can be done on the external communication relationship between CSOs and media institutions taking special focus on the costs and benefits in their media advocacy roles.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
According to Rahmato (2002, p.104), “CSOs occupy the space between the state on one hand, and the lowest unit of social life, the family, on the other hand. They include all non-market and non-state organizations and structures in which people organize to pursue shared objectives and ideals”. Similarly, Drah (2003, p.118) also defined CSOs as “an ensemble of intermediary associations or organizations which operate between the primary units of society in general (like the individual, family or household) and the state and its agencies”. Examples of these are farmers’ associations, professional associations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, environmental groups, cooperatives, independent research institutes, faith-based organizations, labour unions, employers’ associations and media organizations or independent media organizations, as well as other groups.
The establishment and work of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) by individuals and groups is seen to be the driving force of most societies (Frimpong, 2017). They are known to form an important force towards successful policy advocacy and implementation. CSOs are also recognized to be beneficial to society and have contributed in a number of ways by increasing policy and research attention in countries (Pollard &Court, 2005). Their impact is visible, can be measured and is of social, economic or democratic gain to citizens of a country. Today, the work of CSOs have impacted governance, health, education, trade etc. of countries. Impressive gains in all aspects of life are partly brought about due to the consistent efforts made by CSOs.
Development, as defined by the Society for International development (SID) is “the process that creates growth, progress, positive change or the addition of physical, economic, environmental, social and demographic components to bring about a rise in the level and quality of life of a population, and the creation or expansion of local regional income and employment opportunities, without damaging the resources of the environment”(SID, 2018).Going by this definition, this study will focus on the positive change that brings about a rise in the level and quality of life of a population through the media advocacy work of CSOs.
The Formation of CSOs in Ghana, media advocacy and their contribution to development
In Ghana, the formation of CSOs dates back to the country’s pre-independence era. At the time, CSOs were mainly established to help provide basic social services such as electricity, water, schools, hospitals among others to citizens in the country (Drah& Ocquaye, 2013). However, the progress of CSO work could not thrive in Ghana as a result of unfavorable conditions and unstable democratic governance at the time (Drah, 2003).
According to Edwards (2004), CSOs and the media are able to thrive better in a democratically stable country where policies are likely to work than in countries that have experienced wars, famine, and worse economic conditions. In addition, the political culture, legal environment and corruption are factors that can lead to different levels of engagement or disengagements of CSOs. Grugel (1999) also argued that, the progress of CSOs work is dependent on the political context of a particular country.
In other studies, Blankson (2000) and Tandoh (1995) pointed out that the intensification of liberal and democratic reforms in Ghana in the mid 1990s resulted in the establishment of multi- party democracy, privatization of the airwaves and most importantly, the emergence of independent mass media operations. This gave way for many independent owned media institutions, numbering over two hundred, to broadcast alongside the state-owned media thereby significantly changing the media environment in the country. As a result, independent owned media institutions, especially radio, took centre stage in the democratic and civil society building process. This opened up the space for free expression of divergent and discerning views as opposed to the military era where the state-owned media was controlled by the ruling government (Blankson, 2002). Thus, giving rise to the formation of many CSOs and the space to thrive (Ohemeng & Ayee, 2013).This has led to the production of media programs where civil society groups use the mass media as a platform to exchange ideas and communicate with their audiences or target groups (Blankson, 2002).
Over the years, the presence of CSOs and their media advocacy work, have played a key role in Ghana’s policy making (Ohemeng, 2015). Some CSOs, for example, have been very vocal on issues of corruption, constitutionalism, governance, democracy, human rights, gender and the economy, among others using the various forms of media i.e. television, print, radio, online digital platforms and social media.
Hence, media advocacy, is the “strategic use of mass media to advance public policy initiatives” (Wallack,1994).
Many countries have benefited from the media advocacy work of CSOs in promoting development and peace. In Ghana, many CSOs influence public policy choices through media advocacy (Ohemeng 2015, p. 672). CSOs’ influence on policy brings about positive change. To cite an example, in Ghana, the Institute for Democratic Governance, the Centre for Democratic Development and the Institute of Economic Affairs through their media advocacy have gained recognition for their contribution to Ghana’s policy making in achieving good governance (Botchway, 2018). Thus, their recognition gives them an opportunity, or an invitation to make an input as a Stakeholder in working with select committees in the Legislative arm of Government. That is, in the formulation and passage of bills to protect the interest and rights of citizens. The passage of the Disability and Freedom to Information Bills is an example of how CSOs influence decision making. Similarly, with the Right to Information (RTI) bill, some selected CSOs (Media Foundation for West Africa, Ghana Journalist Association, and the Coalition on the Right to Information Bill) have worked with the Government (Ministry of Communications) alongside other institutions like the Ghana Media Commission in passing the bill into law.
In recent times (2019), some CSOs in Ghana, through their media advocacy efforts have been able to drive the need for a law to check crime and punish culprits of vigilantism offences. They have collectively worked with the Legislative arm of Government in putting together a comprehensive Bill on Vigilantism and related offences. This has been passed into a law. These efforts by the CSOs play key roles in influencing public policy. The extent to which this influence on public policy is a significant contribution towards development will be examined in this study.
Problem Statement
In a democratic society where there are three main actors, i.e. the public (government) sector, the private (business) sector and civil society, CSOs interact with citizens by bringing out specific concerns of theirs, giving them an effective voice and therefore helping them take part in the decision-making process of a country. Arguably, CSOs are sometimes referred to as “the building blocks of democracy” as they facilitate effective interlinkages between a variety of interest within society as described by the Regional Environmental Centre, Sweden (REC, 2019). CSOs role in these activities are mostly done through media advocacy. According to Paffenholz and Spurk (2010), their main functions are advocacy and public communication or awareness creation, intermediation and facilitation, social cohesion, lobbying, monitoring and service delivery. CSOs play important roles in enhancing transparency and good governance in developing countries by contributing to increased public debate on issues surrounding the formulation and implementation of policies. In achieving this goal, media advocacy is used. Media advocacy is mainly done to raise awareness, create change and build a movement or momentum for a cause (Pickles& Frescina, 2013).Through the use of media advocacy, CSOs and the media set the agenda to raise awareness and influence issues which pushes for actions to be taken.
Many contributions made in the past by CSOs in Ghana used media advocacy as their key strategy (Ohemeng, 2015). Research has shown that media advocacy by CSOs has aided in promoting development in Africa (Bukenya & Hickey, 2013). Omotoso (2010) focused on media advocacy and its influence on citizens in Nigeria using a form of medium i.e., radio whiles Silpakar (2012) focused on the influence of media advocacy on policy making in Nepal. However, other studies have not clearly stated what media advocacy strategies have proven to be
helpful to pushing development agenda. Furthermore, there seem to be few studies on media advocacy by CSOs in Ghana in pushing development agenda. The study will provide insight by offering the Ghanaian perspective on CSOs media advocacy strategies and its effectiveness to development thereby, filling the gap in literature.
This study will assess how CSOs media advocacy strategies contributes to setting the agenda for development in the social, economic and political aspects of life. It will look at how the media advocacy of these CSOs influence the public on what to think about and how the public should think about the issues. The study will examine the tactic/techniques used, the significance of CSOs media advocacy work and the various forms of media employed.
Objectives of the Study
The overall objective of the study is to explore the nature of CSOs media advocacy and how the media advocacy efforts contributes to development in Ghana.
The specific objectives are;
- To examine the nature of CSO media advocacy in Ghana.
- To evaluate the extent to which CSO media advocacy contributes in pushing the development agenda in Ghana.
Research Questions
- What are the areas of specialization, media forms and tactics/techniques of CSO media advocacy in Ghana?
- What is the significance of CSO media advocacy in contributing to the development agenda in Ghana?
Significance of Study
Although there have been several studies around the work of CSOs, many of these studies have been conducted in other disciplines such as political science. Empirical studies focusing on advocacy, activism and CSO’s in the field of Communication Studies are still limited (Mueller, Pagé and Kuerbis, 2004). Therefore, this study is significant because it provides a Ghanaian perspective and insight in to media advocacy by CSOs in Ghana in influencing public policy choices and the development agenda in general. The study also adds to the scholarship on media advocacy by CSOs in Ghana.
Definition of Terms
The following terms were used in the study;
Areas of specialization of CSO media advocacy: This was used to denote particular aspects or areas the CSOs specialize or focus on.
Civil Society Organizations: These are a variety of autonomous, voluntary institutions which provide services to individuals and also articulate public interest.
Development agenda: In this study, the term refers to the systematic use of technical knowledge to address issues that require long term approaches to achieve in improving the quality of life.
Media Advocacy: This term refers to the way CSOs use to influence decision making through the media outlets such as newsletters, journals, magazines, radio, television, news outlets and even on social media.
Structure of Study
This study is organized into five (5) chapters. The first chapter looks at the introduction and the background to the study. It looks at CSOs and their contribution to development, the history of CSOs in Ghana, the problem statement, research objectives and questions. It also delves into the significance of the study, operational definitions and the structure of the research.
The second chapter discusses the theories underpinning the study i.e. the Agenda Setting theory, and the Two-step flow theory and reviews some literature related to the study. It illustrates with diagrams.
The third chapter discusses the research methodology approach used in this study. The research design, sampling, data collection, and data analysis are discussed in this study. It also gives a brief description of the sampled CSOs in Ghana.
The fourth chapter discusses the findings from the analysis made from data collected through the use of a semi-structured interview guide and also gives a brief description on the work of the sampled CSOs media advocacy work.
The last and fifth chapter gives a summary of the findings, conclusion and recommendations.
