For my internship through the Media in Ghana program I requested to work at a newspaper and was placed at the Daily Guide. The Daily Guide is a privately-owned newspaper located Accra, Ghana, that publishes articles in favor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). They release a newspaper six times per week and is one of the, if not the most, highly circulated private newspapers in Ghana.

Before my first day at the newspaper, I had learned some about the paper but most of what I would actually do each day was a mystery. On my first Monday, I did little except for trying the canteen food for the first time and introducing myself to a couple of my coworkers. I met the editor of the paper, the news editor, the deputy editor, and a few reporters. One reporter, whose name is Melvin, was introduced as the person I would be shadowing the next day when he went to cover a press conference in the morning. That week I learned that wherever Melvin goes, I go to.

Melvin and I mostly just cover conferences or events when the Daily Guide has received a request for coverage. We always arrive earlier than the stated start time, but the not a single event has actually started on time. We end up sitting in the meeting room for at least an hour before anyone comes up to apologize for their tardiness or the event miraculously begins. It’s not terribly annoying but I’ve learned that a lot of reporters will just show an hour after the start time and still have to wait. Despite the waiting, most events are thought provoking and leave me eager to learn more about what was just discussed.

At the end of the event, all of the journalists gather around a table and wait to retrieve “soli” from someone with a stack of white envelopes. “Soli” is a term used to describe the money that journalists are given for accepting the hosts invitation to cover their event. The money is supposed to be for transportation but is usual more than what it costs to take a taxi or tro tro to the event. I’m not sure of the exact amount for every event but I usually end up with somewhere between GHC 20 to GHC 55. It seems to me that money is passed out for the coverage of an event that is for publicity rather than one that is deemed news worthy.

I’ve talked to Melvin about it some and it is clear that it is a complex issue. Some reporters who live off a low salary, may rely on this extra money to live comfortably. Melvin told me that sometimes the people handing out the money will delay for hours in order to get reporters to leave so that they can keep the money for themselves. Other times, they may “forget” the money and say they’ll send it later but ignore the reporter once the story has been published.

While I feel uncomfortable taking the money, Melvin has told me that if I don’t sign the sheet then someone else will sign for me and take the money. It is a strange concept to me but is normalized here to the point where there would be an uproar if the envelopes weren’t passed out.