Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Reed College of Media

Department

Reed College of Media

Committee Chair

Steve J Urbanski

Committee Co-Chair

Elizabeth Oppe

Committee Member

Elizabeth Oppe

Committee Member

Tamba M'bayo

Committee Member

Lois Raimondo

Abstract

Among the many applications of the Internet is its use for news. Ghanaian immigrants, like others living away from their country of birth, use the Web to access news from home via ethnic media in their host country or homeland media or both. Employing online surveys and telephone interviews, this study explores the daily use of online media by Ghanaians resident in the Washington metropolitan area to obtain news about their native country. It assesses how factors like demography, length of stay abroad and devices used affect time spent daily on the Internet looking for news as well as the news sources and categories usually patronized. The use of social media to access news daily was also investigated. Descriptive analysis of the data obtained was carried out. Across all the online media types accessed – radio, TV, and website/ newspaper – homeland media was the preference of Ghanaian immigrants while ethnic media was hardly mentioned, most of these news accessed via mobile. Most Ghanaians prefer to read the news online than to listen or watch. Social media was also a very important medium of news, being an essential source for more than 8 out of every 10 respondents surveyed. In addition to being a platform with mass subscription where users read and share news, social media also streams radio and television news programs, replacing the need to visit the websites of the specific news organizations for their news. The advantages the Internet offers including unrestricted access to news across the world and the speed of delivery of such information were also mentioned.

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