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Papers by sarah akrofi-quarcoo

Research paper thumbnail of A Chink in the Charm? A Framing Analysis of Coverage of Chinese Aid in the Ghanaian Media

African journalism studies, Jan 2, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Women’s Engagement with Radio Broadcasting in Post-Colonial Ghana, 1960-1975

Research paper thumbnail of Children & Literary Broadcasts on Radio Ghana: Listening to Story Time & Taataa Tee

Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Jun 5, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Indigenizing radio in Ghana

Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 2020

Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a col... more Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a colonial tool of information, education and entertainment in the early 1930s, radio broadcasting was mainly in colonial languages as colonial administrators perceived local language broadcasting a threat to their empire building and ‘civilization’ agendas. The fortunes of local language broadcasting did not dramatically change in the independence era when broadcast media were in the firm control of the state. From the beginning of the twenty-first century, however, mostly resulting from a more liberalized media environment, local language broadcasting has undergone unprecedented growth. Drawing on written archival material, including internal communication among policy-makers, audience letters, key informant interviews and findings from a recent audience study, this article charts the progressive development of local language radio broadcasting in Ghana, and engages with the role played by ...

Research paper thumbnail of A case of double standards? Audience attitudes to professional norms on local and English language radio news programmes in Ghana

Journal of African Media Studies, 2020

The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language ra... more The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language radio stations and fuelled culturally-rooted practices of news delivery considered by many media professionals as sub-standard. This article explores the reception practices of multi-lingual audiences in Ghana, focusing on their views on the different norms and approaches of local language and English language radio newscasts. Using data from a convenience sample of 1000 radio listeners in five Ghanaian cosmopolitan cities the study finds that audiences prefer more performative modes of news delivery on their local language stations. It was also evident that radio audiences are discerning and make distinctions between what is acceptable on local language versus English language radio. These results call for a reconsideration of western-influenced standards of news delivery and the development of professional standards more accommodating of the inflections of culture.

Research paper thumbnail of A Chink in the Charm? A Framing Analysis of Coverage of Chinese Aid in the Ghanaian Media

African Journalism Studies, 2019

Much recent scholarship focuses on China's growing global influence. Of note is China's recent ch... more Much recent scholarship focuses on China's growing global influence. Of note is China's recent charm offensive on Africa through the soft power of aid and trade. With development assistance being key to asserting global influence, it would seem that by pursuing a no-strings-attached approach to aid, China has propositioned itself to Africans as a benevolent development partner. Yet China's business activities in Africa may represent a chink in its image. In Ghana, there is a palpable Chinese presence in nearly every facet of life (including energy, construction and trade). Across these spheres, Chinese elements are the object of criticism. For instance, their involvement in illegal mining ("galamsey") is blamed for the degradation of lands and pollution of water bodies. The question evoked by these cross-purposes of aid and trade is: how is China's influence in Ghana reflected in its image as a development partner? We argue that the media is key to answering this question, given that they reflect and affect the opinions of citizens on national interest issues. The study thus explores how the local Ghanaian media frame "China in Ghana" to their audience as a means to shape local opinions and discourses on the matter.

Research paper thumbnail of Journalism Aid: Country of Origin and Influences on Beneficiary Perceptions and Practices

African Journalism Studies, 2018

A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is n... more A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is not necessarily a beneficent, or sustainable, solution to the development needs of African countries. This argument raises a conceptual conundrum with respect to the many training programmes and fellowships designed to address the skills deficits of journalists and media in Africa. While the necessity and value of such interventions may be taken for granted, a counterintuitive question arises about the extent to which beneficiaries are able nonetheless to act independently. This study sought to find out the extent to which capacity-building assistance to journalists in Ghana may have fostered or inhibited their independent practice. Individual interviews were conducted with 24 journalists to ascertain their experiences with such programmes and their subsequent dispositions towards the host country or agency. The findings showed that underlying the manifest objectives of building the capacities of beneficiaries was the implicit intent of the aid country of origin to use the media as agents of economic and cultural diplomacy. The consequent prospect of compromising the journalistic autonomy of beneficiaries of training aid brings into question their capacity to contribute to sustainable development in Ghana.

Research paper thumbnail of A Chink in the Charm? A Framing Analysis of Coverage of Chinese Aid in the Ghanaian Media

African journalism studies, Jan 2, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Women’s Engagement with Radio Broadcasting in Post-Colonial Ghana, 1960-1975

Research paper thumbnail of Children & Literary Broadcasts on Radio Ghana: Listening to Story Time & Taataa Tee

Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Jun 5, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Indigenizing radio in Ghana

Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 2020

Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a col... more Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a colonial tool of information, education and entertainment in the early 1930s, radio broadcasting was mainly in colonial languages as colonial administrators perceived local language broadcasting a threat to their empire building and ‘civilization’ agendas. The fortunes of local language broadcasting did not dramatically change in the independence era when broadcast media were in the firm control of the state. From the beginning of the twenty-first century, however, mostly resulting from a more liberalized media environment, local language broadcasting has undergone unprecedented growth. Drawing on written archival material, including internal communication among policy-makers, audience letters, key informant interviews and findings from a recent audience study, this article charts the progressive development of local language radio broadcasting in Ghana, and engages with the role played by ...

Research paper thumbnail of A case of double standards? Audience attitudes to professional norms on local and English language radio news programmes in Ghana

Journal of African Media Studies, 2020

The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language ra... more The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language radio stations and fuelled culturally-rooted practices of news delivery considered by many media professionals as sub-standard. This article explores the reception practices of multi-lingual audiences in Ghana, focusing on their views on the different norms and approaches of local language and English language radio newscasts. Using data from a convenience sample of 1000 radio listeners in five Ghanaian cosmopolitan cities the study finds that audiences prefer more performative modes of news delivery on their local language stations. It was also evident that radio audiences are discerning and make distinctions between what is acceptable on local language versus English language radio. These results call for a reconsideration of western-influenced standards of news delivery and the development of professional standards more accommodating of the inflections of culture.

Research paper thumbnail of A Chink in the Charm? A Framing Analysis of Coverage of Chinese Aid in the Ghanaian Media

African Journalism Studies, 2019

Much recent scholarship focuses on China's growing global influence. Of note is China's recent ch... more Much recent scholarship focuses on China's growing global influence. Of note is China's recent charm offensive on Africa through the soft power of aid and trade. With development assistance being key to asserting global influence, it would seem that by pursuing a no-strings-attached approach to aid, China has propositioned itself to Africans as a benevolent development partner. Yet China's business activities in Africa may represent a chink in its image. In Ghana, there is a palpable Chinese presence in nearly every facet of life (including energy, construction and trade). Across these spheres, Chinese elements are the object of criticism. For instance, their involvement in illegal mining ("galamsey") is blamed for the degradation of lands and pollution of water bodies. The question evoked by these cross-purposes of aid and trade is: how is China's influence in Ghana reflected in its image as a development partner? We argue that the media is key to answering this question, given that they reflect and affect the opinions of citizens on national interest issues. The study thus explores how the local Ghanaian media frame "China in Ghana" to their audience as a means to shape local opinions and discourses on the matter.

Research paper thumbnail of Journalism Aid: Country of Origin and Influences on Beneficiary Perceptions and Practices

African Journalism Studies, 2018

A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is n... more A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is not necessarily a beneficent, or sustainable, solution to the development needs of African countries. This argument raises a conceptual conundrum with respect to the many training programmes and fellowships designed to address the skills deficits of journalists and media in Africa. While the necessity and value of such interventions may be taken for granted, a counterintuitive question arises about the extent to which beneficiaries are able nonetheless to act independently. This study sought to find out the extent to which capacity-building assistance to journalists in Ghana may have fostered or inhibited their independent practice. Individual interviews were conducted with 24 journalists to ascertain their experiences with such programmes and their subsequent dispositions towards the host country or agency. The findings showed that underlying the manifest objectives of building the capacities of beneficiaries was the implicit intent of the aid country of origin to use the media as agents of economic and cultural diplomacy. The consequent prospect of compromising the journalistic autonomy of beneficiaries of training aid brings into question their capacity to contribute to sustainable development in Ghana.