Image of the Christian Clergy in the Ghanaian Media: A Study of the Daily Guide Newspaper

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.