WHAT MAKES THE FRONT PAGE NEWS IN AN ELECTION YEAR: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DAILY GRAPHIC AND DAILY GUIDE NEWSPAPERS, 2016.

ABSTRACT

This study content analyzed the front page issues of the 2016 Daily Graphic and Daily Guide newspapers on what made the news in the 2016 election year, as regards factors influencing selection of stories, frames used in the coverage of political news as well as ownership and the influence it had on how front page news was covered in the 2016 election year.

From all 626 issues published in 2016, a total sample of 148 issues was drawn for the two newspapers. This proportion gave a fair representation of the population. A constructed week technique was used to sample front page stories by the Daily Graphic and Daily Guide on the kinds of stories published and the dominant frames used by both newspapers in the coverage of political stories. A composite week was developed to represent each month of the year.

The findings showed that both Daily Graphic and Daily Guide gave maximum front page attention to political issues particularly in the third quarter of the year when the elections drew closer. These stories were skewed in favor of the elite who were mainly politicians. In the coverage of political news, Daily Graphic and Daily Guide gave more prominence to electoral processes and issues compared to stories that were legal in nature, those concerned with economy and governance as well as corruption. Findings also revealed that the negative element and the element of personalization in a story increased the probability of it being published on the front page.

The pattern of stories with regards to how they were framed remained same in all three quarters of the year by both Daily Graphic and Daily Guide.