Image of the Christian Clergy in the Ghanaian Media: A Study of the Daily Guide Newspaper
Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour 
, Judith Lamptey-George ,James Kwaku Asante & Acquaye Isaac Nii Addotey
Issue: Vol.6 No.10 Article 8 pp.2337 – 2353
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256108 | Published online 17th September, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This article examined how the Daily Guide newspaper, through its publication of certain stories, framed the Christian clergy in Ghana. The study, which utilized the mixed-method approach, also employed the gatekeeping and framing theories in its quest to find out the tone of stories, the dominant image of the clergy, as well as the church, which dominated the coverage, whether positively or negatively. The study found that the majority of the stories that the Daily Guide newspaper published about the clergy were on negative occurrences involving the clergy. Indeed, out of the 59 stories sampled, 33 of the stories, which is 60 percent, were on scandals and controversies about the clergy, with 20, which is 34 percent, touching on the positive acts of the clergy. Also, hard crimes on the individual note emerged as the dominant frame the clergy was associated with, as 16 out of the 59 stories were on the clergy’s involvement in acts like murder, robbery, fraud, and theft, among others. The portrayal, arguably, points to an undesirably negative image of the clergy in Ghana, necessitating that efforts are doubled to arrest the situation so that the clergy do not end up losing their influential role and recognition in society. This study, apart from adding to the literature on the framing of the clergy in Ghana, is also meant to awaken the consciousness of the clergy and society, in general, to review their respective roles in promoting worthy lifestyles and morality in communities.
Keywords: Clergy, orthodox churches, charismatic churches, morality, unethical conduct, prophets.
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Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour is a Lawyer and an Academic with the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC-IJ), formerly Ghana Institute of Journalism. Aside his law background, he also holds an M.A. and MPhil degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Education, Winneba. He is currently a Doctoral student at the same University. He has over 15 years of experience in both Print and Broadcast Journalism, having worked with many newspapers, radio and TV stations in Ghana. His research focuses on Digital and Data Journalism, Geo-politics, Media Management, Media Content Analysis, Framing Analysis, Content Production, Media Law, International and Business Law, Gender and Media Studies.
Judith Lamptey-George is a Teaching Assistant with the Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC-IJ), formerly Ghana Institute of Journalism. Aside from her Teaching Assistant role, she is also a freight forwarder. She has a strong interest in Public Relations and Marketing and is currently pursuing studies in that field. Her research interests include Media Content Analysis, Consumer Behaviour, Public Relations, Marketing, and Promotion of Entrepreneurial Excellence, among others.
James Kwaku Asante is a Senior Lecturer with the Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies of the University Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC). He holds a PhD in communication and media research from the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom. His research interest covers Political Communication, Media content creation and Analysis, Broadcast Content Production and Presentation, Media Framing, among others.
Acquaye Isaac Nii Addotey is a Teaching Assistant with the Faculty of Journalism and Media Studies of the University of Media, Arts and Communication. His research interests include language use, sports, entertainment, politics, and general media content analysis. He is also a budding talent in the area of Information, Communication Technology.
Baah-Acheamfour, Kwaku , Judith Lamptey-George, James Kwaku Asante, and Acquaye Isaac Nii Addotey.“ Image of the Christian Clergy in the Ghanaian Media: A Study of the Daily Guide Newspaper,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 10 (2025): 2337 – 2353, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256108
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
