Headlines and Commentaries of Fake Neutrals Don't Decide Who Wins Elections: Suffering Ghanaians Do

Headlines and Commentaries of Fake Neutrals Don't Decide Who Wins Elections: Suffering Ghanaians Do

By Bala Ali
Every election season in Ghana, the media space turns into a marketplace.

On one aisle, you will find the polished headlines: “Economy Stabilizing,” “Projects Commissioned Nationwide,” “Citizens Applaud Government Policies.”

On the other aisle, the pain headlines: “Cost of Living Bites Hard,” “Youth Unemployment Crisis,” “Communities Cry for Basic Services.”

In between are the commentaries. Some analysts come on TV with charts and big grammar to defend the government. Others come with statistics and stories to indict it. Some civil society voices sound like spokespersons. Others sound like opposition. All of them claim to be “neutral.”

But here is the truth voters already know: Headlines and commentaries of fake neutrals don’t decide who wins elections. Suffering Ghanaians do.

The Theater of "Good Picture" Politics
This is not new to this government. It was not new to the last one. And it will not be new to the next one.

Every government in the 4th Republic has tried to manage its image. Press secretaries, communication teams, and friendly media houses are deployed to “paint a good picture.” Projects are timed for cameras. Data is released to show progress. Commentators who are perceived to be aligned are given space to explain policy.

At the same time, critics emerge. Journalists on the ground report the potholes, the hospital queues, the school under trees. Civil society organizations release reports on corruption, rights, and governance gaps. Opposition communicators amplify every hardship.

Both sides call themselves objective. But voters are watching with their own eyes, not just through TV screens.

The Rise of "Fake Neutrals"
The most dangerous voices are not the open partisans. You know where they stand.

The most influential are the "fake neutrals" — those who wear the cloth of objectivity but whose commentaries always land in one direction.

Some are paid consultants for CSOs who suddenly become economists in election year. Some are journalists whose analysis mysteriously changes depending on who is in power. Some are panelists who condemn the same policy under one government and defend it under another.

Their job is not to inform. It is to frame. To tell you how you should feel about inflation, about a new tax, about a road, about a scandal.

They will say “technically, the numbers are improving” while a market woman in Kejetia or Makola is telling you her capital has finished.

They will say “the data shows growth” while a graduate in Tamale or Cape Coast is sending 200 CVs with no response.

That disconnect is what voters remember on December 7.

History Remembers The Pain, Not The PR
Ghana’s electoral history proves this point.

In 2008, government communicators were running full-page ads about infrastructure and growth. But voters were talking about fuel prices, Dumsor’s early warning signs, and the cost of food. They voted for change.

In 2016, the airwaves were filled with “Green Book” projects and achievements. Yet in homes, people were talking about joblessness, taxes, and power cuts. The commentators said, “We are turning the corner.” The voter said, “My corner is still dark.” They voted for change.

In 2020, the campaign was about managing a global pandemic and rolling out flagship programs. Commentators debated GDP and recovery. Voters were debating school fees, business capital, and whether their small shop would survive. The election was close because people weighed both the PR and the pain.

The pattern is clear. No matter how beautiful the headline, if the kitchen is empty, the headline won’t fill it.

Why Headlines Fail and Pain Votes
1. People vote their lived experience, not your press release.

A journalist can write “inflation is down to single digits.” But if gari, oil, and transport are still high, the headline is noise.

2. Fake neutrality is easily spotted.
Ghanaians are politically literate. When a CSO member who was silent for 8 years suddenly finds his voice, or when a journalist praises every policy of one government and attacks every policy of the other, people notice. Credibility dies.

3. The ballot is secret and personal.
You cannot intimidate it. You cannot spin it. In the booth, it is just the voter and his conscience. He remembers the hospital bill he paid, the job he didn’t get, the road that was fixed or not fixed.

4. Pain is local, but elections are national.

A good story in Accra does not cancel a bad experience in Bunkpurugu. A project in Kumasi does not pay school fees in Axim. Voters aggregate their pain.

What Media and CSOs Should Do Instead
This is not a call to stop reporting or commenting. It is a call to be honest.

To Journalists: Cover both the projects and the problems. Interview the minister and the market woman. Report the commissioning and the community that was left out. Stop being a PR agency for anyone.

To CSOs: Your power is your independence. The moment you are seen as hired commentators, your reports are discarded. Speak truth to power, whether that power is NDC, NPP, or any other party.

To Governments: You cannot out-communicate hardship. The best communication strategy is delivery. If people feel it in their pockets, in their clinics, in their classrooms, you won’t need to pay for commentaries.

The Final Verdict Belongs to the Voter
In 2028, in 2032, and beyond, the same drama will play out. New headlines. New panelists. New “neutral” analysts.

But the decision will still be made by the teacher in Wa whose salary is late. By the trader in Madina whose rent has doubled. By the farmer in Goaso whose fertilizer didn’t arrive. By the nurse in Ho who is doing double shifts. By the youth in Accra who is tired of “protocol.”

They don’t vote because of a catchy headline. They vote because of what they have suffered, what they have gained, and what they hope for.

So, to every government, opposition, journalist, and CSO: campaign, comment, and headline all you want.

But remember — Ghanaians are not reading your script. They are living their story. And on election day, that story is what they will vote with.

The author is a regular contributor to News Commentary, a current affairs programme by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and a columnist with Modern Ghana, an esteemed online news portal.

   Comments0