This score/grading is part of the results of a TV content analysis study done on the questions journalists posed to president Mahama during his encounter with the media this year. The researchers believe that the type of questions asked by journalists is as important as, if not a trigger to, the kind of responses from the president.
The research is a collaborative work of the Media Communication and Policy Study Group, a research outfit and a Journalism academic at the National Film and Television Institute, Kwaku Botwe. It is the first attempt to systematically assess type of questions posed by journalists in Ghana.
The journalists were scored based on four criteria – relevance of question, specificity of question, tone of question and body language.
Definition and score (weight) of the various criteria
A summary of the Questions asked by the journalists in the order in which they asked.
1. Ametorbio Horlali (Ghana Palava) – What is responsible
for the rise in armed robberies in the country? What do you say of the heroic taxi driver who stopped the two armed robbers?
2. Kwame Asare Boadu (Graphic Group) – Was there any monetary consideration in accepting the two ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoners? and Why at all did Ghana accept the two ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoners?
3. Kobby Gomez Mensah (Starr FM) – How many young people have been registered as unemployed in the various categories?
4. Cecil Nii Obodai Wentumi (Uniq FM) – What is the government doing to further address the special needs of the aged?
5. Bismark Bebli (General Telegraph) – Why build educational structures and embark on anti-teacher policies?
6. Yaw Obeng Manu (Peace FM) – You and your wife have been mentioned in the DKM micro-finance scheme collapse and it is alleged over 50 people have lost their lives due to it. Who will help the people get their money and to restore their lives?
7. Charles Takyi Boadu (Daily Guide) – You and your government promised to end dumsor by end of 2015. It still persists and how do you expect Ghanaians to trust you to deliver on your promises and vote for you in 2016?
8. Opare Djan (Daily Democrat) – Isn’t the talk of a transformational agenda an admission of failure by your government and what are the main policies behind the agenda?
9. Bernard Avle (Citi FM) – Why is Ghana, a net importer of crude not benefiting from low world crude price? In the New Year we were hit with an average 33% increases at the pump, in December we got over 50% increase in utility tariffs, and then in January a new income tax law. Some think that your government is squeezing everything out of us yet you are not able to retrieve monies from people who should be returning money to the state. How do you convince us that you care for us with these specific policies?
10. Fiifi Banson (Kasapa FM) – Are you worried about guns in our society particularly in an election year? and on a scale of 0-10, how would you rate your administration’s fight against corruption?
11. Moro Awudu (Freelancer) – Mr President you are finishing your first term in office while your party, NDC will soon celebrate eight years in government. How do you intend to cross the hurdle of convincing Ghanaians to give you a second term and thus the NDC, a third term?
12. Kojo Yankson (Joy FM) – Why are your people not doing what you tell them – to retrieve monies from corrupt deals, buy made in Ghana etc)?
13. Christian Kpesese (The Insight) – What is your commitment to resource the National Identification Authority, the only constitutionally mandated body in charge of our identification, to function properly?
14. Raymond Koufie (Government Portal) – How do we address the issue of corruption in the Civil Service?
15. Emefa Apawu (Class 91.3FM) – Was Parliament involved in the extensive consultation to admit the two Guantanamo Bay ex-prisoners to Ghana? and You also say your faith and compassion as a Christian played a role in the decision to admit the two ex-prisoners. There are Ghanaians in prisons in Ghana with perhaps less offences who I’m sure are also begging for your faith and compassion.
16. Ekow Moses (Bloomberg News) – We are running an austere IMF programme, then you have a growth target and a deficit target of 5.4 and 5.3 respectively. Given what is happening to the crude oil price, the slowdown of China, and the rise in interest hikes in the USA, what does that portend for us and by extension what is the greatest threat that you face in achieving these economic targets in an election year?
17. Nana Aba Anamoah – What have you done to reduce pressure on yourself, the presidency to enable you concentrate on the things you find to be very important to you, and what keeps you awake at night?
18. Bridget Otoo (TV3) – There have been demands to send the ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoners. At what point would you consider it critical to return them?
19. Edzorna Mensah (Radio XYZ) – Mr. President what is the position of Ghana on gay rights?
20. Evans Mensah (Joy FM) – On December 9 last year you said the Attorney General and EOCO should recover the outstanding of GH¢40.5 million in the GYEEDA case, today is 11th (12th) of January, has that been recovered?
21. Samuel Ablordepey (Radio Gold) – In dealing with corruption, there is a lot of sole-sourcing in your administration – what are doing to deal with sole-sourcing by the Ministries, Departments and agencies and what are you doing to retool the security agencies to enable them safeguard the peace and security we are enjoying before, during and after the elections?
Source:Kwaku Botwe