VOlUME 05 ISSUE 06 June 2026
1Abigail Bonsu Owusu, 2Emmanuel Yeboah, 3Daniel Nkrumah
1,2,3Department of Language and Communication Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i6n48Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
This study investigates fact-checking practices in selected Ghanaian media houses and among practicing journalists. Its objectives were to measure how frequently media organisations and journalists engage in fact-checking, to identify the methods and tools commonly used across different media formats, and to surface the main challenges that hinder effective verification. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from journalists across a range of newsrooms and media formats and analyzed to identify prevailing patterns and constraints. The findings show that while fact-checking has become an increasingly recognized response to misinformation, the level of engagement varies across media types and individuals. Journalists typically rely on basic verification techniques (cross-checking sources, online searches, and informal contacts), yet many are constrained by limited time, resources, institutional support, and training. The study concludes that strengthening fact-checking in Ghana requires targeted capacity building, investment in verification tools, clearer newsroom policies, and enhanced collaboration between media houses, fact-checking organizations, and regulators. These steps would help restore public trust and improve the quality and reliability of news reporting.
KEYWORDS:Factchecking; Journalism; Fake News; Misinformation; Disinformation; Ghanaian Media
REFERENCES1) Don J, Kenzie F. (2025). News consumption in the digital age: traditional media's role in the contemporary media landscape.
2) Lee S, Xiong A, Seo H, Lee D. (2023). “Fact-checking” fact checkers: a data-driven approach. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. 4(5).
3) Sánchez Gonzales HM, Sánchez González M, Martos Moreno J. The methodology used by fact-checkers: an in-depth analysis of commonly used strategies. Communication & Society. 2022.
4) Acquaye NA, Ofosu-Boateng NR. Exploratory study on audience perception of information credibility on media platforms in Ghana. British Journal of Mass Communication and Media Research. 2021.
5) Sánchez Gonzales HM, Sánchez González M, Martos Moreno J. The methodology used by fact-checkers: an in-depth analysis of commonly used strategies. Journalism Practice. 2024.
6) Citi Newsroom. 11 Ghanaian media houses set up fact-checking desks to tackle fake news [Internet]. 2020 Oct 11 [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: Citi Newsroom
7) Wardle C, Derakhshan H. Information disorder: toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Strasbourg: Council of Europe; 2017.
8) Dubawa Ghana. Fact-check: can drinking alcohol kill coronavirus? [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: Dubawa Ghana
9) Tandoc EC, Lim ZW, Ling R. Defining “fake news.” Digital Journalism. 2018;6(2):137–53.
10) Fact-Check Ghana. False claim about scrapping Free SHS debunked [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: Fact-Check Ghana
11) Verdoliva L. Media forensics and deepfakes: an overview. IEEE J Sel Top Signal Process. 2020;14(5):910–32.
12) Ahiabenu K, Ofosu-Peasah G, Sam J. Fact checking in Ghana: an emerging practice with promise and pitfalls. Accra: Media Foundation for West Africa; 2020.
13) Public opinion surveys and digital distrust: misinformation and public trust: institutional trust decline [PDF]. Internet Policy Review. 2022.
14) Graves L. Deciding what’s true: the rise of political fact checking in American journalism. New York: Columbia University Press; 2016.
15) Stencel M, Luther J. Fact-checking census 2023: a global tally. Durham: Duke Reporters’ Lab; 2023.
16) Luengo M, García-Marín D. The performance of truth: politicians, fact-checking journalism, and the struggle to tackle COVID-19 misinformation. Am J Cult Sociol. 2020;8(3):405.
17) Acquaye P, Ofosu-Boateng I. Exploratory study on audience perception of information credibility on media platforms in Ghana. Br J Mass Commun Media Res. 2021;1(1):16–27.
18) Ahiabenu K, Ofosu-Peasah G, Sam J. Media perspectives on fake news in Ghana. Accra: Penplusbytes; 2018.
19) Ayoung DA, Baada FNA, Bugre C. Curbing fake news: a qualitative study of the readiness of academic librarians in Ghana. Int Inf Libr Rev. 2022.
20) Kwode PAK, Selekane NL. Fake news and the political economy of the media: a perspective of Ghanaian journalists. Communicare. 2023;42(2):55–63.
21) Graves L, Amazeen M. Fact-checking as idea and practice in journalism. In: Vos TP, Hanusch F, editors. The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell; 2019.
22) McCombs ME, Shaw DL. The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opin Q. 1972;36(2):176–87.
23) McCombs ME. A look at agenda setting: past, present, and future. Journalism Studies. 2005;6(4):543–57.
24) Tandoc EC. The facts of fake news: a research review. Sociology Compass. 2019.
25) Media Foundation for West Africa. Media citation report: inter media agenda setting in Ghana. Accra: Media Foundation for West Africa; 2022.
26) Vargo CJ, Guo L, McCombs ME. Exploring the agenda-setting power of Twitter in the U.S. 2012 election. Soc Sci Comput Rev. 2014;32(2):184–97.
27) Dearing JW, Rogers EM. Agenda setting. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications; 1996.
28) Osei Owusu B. Digital media, misinformation and political communication in Ghana. 2022.
29) Stroud NJ. Media use and political predispositions: revisiting the concept of selective exposure. Political Behavior. 2008;30(3):341–66.
30) Knobloch-Westerwick S, Meng J. Looking the other way: selective exposure to attitude inconsistent news. J Commun. 2009;59(4):19–38.
31) Goffman E. Frame analysis: an essay on the organization of experience. Cambridge: Harvard University Press; 1974.
32) Entman RM. Framing: toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. J Commun. 1993;43(4):51–58.
33) Dubawa. Fighting COVID-19 misinformation in Ghana: fact-checking report [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: Dubawa Ghana
34) Nyarko M. Fact-checking and democratic accountability in Ghanaian media. African Journalism Studies. 2021;42(3):45–62.
35) Osei Owusu S. Fact-checking, misinformation, and rural information gaps in Ghana. Ghana Journal of Communication Studies. 2022;14(2):112–30.
36) Siebert FS, Peterson T, Schramm W. Four theories of the press: the authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility, and Soviet communist concepts of what the press should be and do. Urbana: University of Illinois Press; 1956.
37) Hutchins Commission. A free and responsible press. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1947.
38) Ilis E. The rise of fake news in the social media era.
39) Christians CG, Glasser TL, McQuail D, Nordenstreng K, White RA. Normative theories of the media: journalism in democratic societies. Urbana: University of Illinois Press; 2009.
40) Dubawa Ghana. About us [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: Dubawa Ghana
41) Ward SJA. The invention of journalism ethics: the path to objectivity and beyond. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s Press; 2004.
42) Craft S, Davis CN. Principles of American journalism: an introduction. New York: Routledge; 2016.
43) McQuail D. McQuail’s mass communication theory. 6th ed. London: SAGE Publications; 2010.
44) Fiaveh DY, Elorm DK. Countering the threats of dis/misinformation: fact-checking practices of students of two universities. Int J Commun Media Stud. 2023;13(1):1–12.
45) Links F. M. An exploratory study of fact-checking practices in conflict and authoritarian contexts. Media and Communication. 2022;10(3):60–71.
46) Tully M, Singer JB. Fact-checking the COVID-19 infodemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Journalism Studies. 2024;44(2):97–115.
47) Moreno-Gil V, Ramon-Vegas X, Mauri-Ríos M. Bringing journalism back to its roots: examining fact-checking practices, methods, and challenges in the Mediterranean context. Journalism Practice. 2023;17(3):456–74.
48) Omair A. Selecting the appropriate study design for your research: descriptive study designs. J Health Spec. 2015;3(3):153.
49) Siedlecki SL. Understanding descriptive research designs and methods. Clin Nurse Spec. 2020;34(1):8–12.
50) Creswell JW, Creswell JD. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 2018.
51) Burns N, Grove SK. Understanding nursing research: building an evidence-based practice. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company; 2003.
52) Rai N, Thapa B. A study on purposive sampling method in research. Kathmandu Sch Law Rev. 2015;5(1):8–15.
53) Singh AS, Masuku MB. Sampling techniques & determination of sample size in applied statistics research: an overview. Int J Econ Commerce Manag. 2014;2(11):1–22.
54) Mwita K. Factors to consider when choosing data collection methods. SSRN. 2022.
55) Paradis E, O’Brien B, Nimmon L, Bandiera G, Martimianakis MA. Design: selection of data collection methods. J Grad Med Educ. 2016;8(2):263–4.
56) Emanuel EJ, Wendler D, Grady C. What makes clinical research ethical? JAMA. 2000;283(20):2701–11.
57) Cacciattolo M. Ethical considerations in research. In: The praxis of English language teaching and learning (PELT) beyond the binaries: researching critically in EFL classrooms. Rotterdam: SensePublishers; 2015. p. 61–79.
58) Hasan N, Rana RU, Chowdhury S, Dola AJ, Rony MKK. Ethical considerations in research. J Nurs Res Patient Saf Pract. 2021;1(01):1–4.
59) Nkrumah, D. & Hassan, S. (2021). Unlocking the gates and setting the agenda: New media brings new life to media culture in Ghana. Global media journal.
Cite this Article:Owusu, A. B., Yeboah, E., & Nkrumah, D. (2026). Fact-Checking Trends and Challenges in A Digital Age: The Case of the Ghanaian Media. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(6), 1799-1812. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i6n48