Abstract:
This paper explores the role of the media in shaping the perceptions and attitude of their audience. Media
institutions weather traditional or new construct content in the form of messages and interpret them within
the context of those messages. Whatever content is portrayed through media should be interpreted correctly
by the audience. Modern audience are active participants in the meaning making process. That
understanding is formed based on how individual constructs meanings for the symbols, images or events
that they see through media and this happens only when their culture gives shared interpretations to those
media content.
In the global context and most recently in Africa, the backlash against how media portrayals have reached a
fever pitch. Studies have shown that in developed countries, youths and the business community are high
consumers of media products both for information and entertainment purposes. However, little is known
about the Ghanaian situation.
Therefore, this research did seek to empirically investigate the perception of Ghanaian journalists and
entrepreneurs on media portrayals and their effect on society. The purpose was to provide scholarly
information to put speculations on the subject matter to rest.
