Measuring the Impact of Media Reportage in the Environment: The Case of the Fight Against Illegal Mining in Ghana

Abstract

Many people have spoken about the environmental and health issues related to illegal mining in Ghana, some people have called a total abolishment of the business, others have called for comprehensive policies and regulations to guide the operations of small scale miners. The media also added their voice to the menace by setting the agenda to end illegal mining. This led to the establishment of organizations and committees by successive governments to help curb the situation. The question that arise is whether the fight has been won or not. This study seeks to investigate whether framing of galamsey stories between 2017 and 2020 influenced policy formulation and changes in policies in Ghana. Using a scientific approach of qualitative research in analysing the data in order to respond to the research questions. The results revealed that, the media applies framing and news values to the issues of galamsey, there is also a strong correlation between the media campaign to #StopGalamsey and government’s response to the menace. Finally, this study, among others previously conducted, has contributed to the existing knowledge of media framing and national policy formulation. However, the study realized some intriguing issues that can be looked at in future studies