Mass Media plays a very quintessential role in governance, infact in some parlance, it is often referred to as the fourth arm of government. From inception, It has been an effective tool for disseminating relevant information about governance and bridging the gap between government and the people, which to a very large extent is the core of democracy: freedom of expression. The Global Center for Democracy and Government Bureau, 1999 further unfolds the foregoing thus; “the role of media in a democracy is it ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation, secondly information serves a ‘checking function’ by ensuring that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who elected them”. Basically, It solidifies the relationship necessary for growth. The importance of the mass media therefore cannot be over-emphasized. In Africa, as the Ghanian UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said when discussing African media during his term, “if information and knowledge and central to democracy, they are conditions for development,” another cogent role of African media is the onus to stand in and illuminate the rightful image of Africa since the outside coverage “continue to be little short of abysmal.” (Martin 334).

Nevertheless, the emergence of social media and its ability to reach and impact a vast number of people has influenced a lot of outcomes in political events, and the ........................................................

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