Media report analysis shows fraud in Churches

Accra, Oct. 25, GNA - A report by a private independent research body has ranked fraudulent deals in Ghanaian churches among the highest subjects that received media scrutiny and attention between July and September 2005.

The third quarter report by the Centre for Media Analysis (CMA), which centred on both state-owned and private print media, said out of 3,695 news items on the churches; evangelism was highest in the positive sense. Nevertheless, a lot of negativity about fraud in churches was exposed.

Presenting the findings at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, Dr Messan Mawugbe, Chief Executive Officer of the CMA, said out of 2,253 news statements covered in the print media on the People's Representative Bill currently before Parliament, scepticism about it ranked highest.

The CMA is a private independent research body that provides empirical information on the status of the media in Ghana. Mr Mawugbe said the over all picture indicated that 52 per cent of the reportage on the Bill was negative, 33 positive, and 15 neutral. Print coverage on the Members of Parliament, according to him, showed that Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, recorded the highest attention.

On political parties, the NDC received the most media coverage on both negative and positive issues.

Dr Mawugbe said HIV/AIDS ratings on anxiety issues indicated that 98 per cent were negative with high prevalence rate coming first. He said of the 2,809 news statements that the media reported about the Ghana Police Service, 56 per cent were in the positive light, 30 per cent negative and 14 per cent neutral.

Crime combat, public relations, Motor Transport and Traffic Unit, Road Safety issues, arrest and investigation stood tall in the positive light whereas police-civil relations and corruption and indiscipline received unfavourable reportage.