INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON THE PRACTICE OF JOURNALISM
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INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON THE PRACTICE OF JOURNALISM
Abstract
This research focuses on the impact of digital technology on the practice of journalism in Nigeria. The study’s entire population consists of 200 employees from chosen print media outlets in Lagos State.
The researcher employed questionnaires to collect data. Descriptive A survey research design was used for this investigation. The study used 133 respondents, including managers, editors, news journalists, and junior personnel. The acquired data were displayed in tables and analysed with simple percentages and frequencies.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study.
The Internet has transformed the entire system of journalism practice in Nigeria. The information revolution affects both print and broadcast media to some extent. The media industry relies on information as both its primary input and final output.
It gathers raw data and organises it into categorised, specified, and valuable pieces of information. As a result, it is not an exaggeration to argue that the drastic changes brought about by the Internet revolution will have a greater impact on the newspaper industry than any other.
The newspaper industry is adopting and absorbing the Internet by increasing efficiencies in all functional wings, including newsgathering, production, editorial, and marketing, in order to achieve a competitive advantage (Indo American Print Summit 2008:153).
In Nigeria, the internet is currently being used by reporters and editors as well as the press. Its benefits are recognised throughout the Journalism Practice supply chain.
The Internet has had a significant impact on every element of the Nigerian newspaper industry, including the product, the manufacturing process, marketing, and distribution.
According to Chris (2001:7), technological advancement and adoption in the newspaper industry improved the printing process and shortened the operating time of editorial desks.
Because of the widespread usage of online material and services, the many-to-many model has surpassed the one-to-many model in information collection. The individual or department responsible with the collection of information and news (Journalist) may acquire information at their own or others’ convenience.
The wide range of editing, page-making, database, photo imaging, and mixing software brought cutting-edge tools to the newspaper industry, allowing it to streamline and combine intra-wing tasks within the newspaper.
The usage of telefax, websites, online databases, web-based information sites, and online readers and newsmakers has made the difficult task of information collection and reporting easier than before.
Emails, personal blogs, and online discussion forums have expanded the scope of information by allowing news from even the most remote regions to be preserved within deadlines. Information technology made an impact on all aspects of the news. It not only affected the operation of newspapers and other departments, but it also gave rise to a new avatar, the epaper.
The limitations of print versions, reach and accessibility, and the cost of newsprint, along with the unfathomable vista of the Internet, prompted Nigerian newspaper publishers to develop electronic versions of editions.
Thus, the Internet made newspapers available at any time and from any location with the touch of a mouse. However, e-paper is not a substitute for print, but rather a supplement to it.
There has been a dramatic transition from the days when reporters would file reports that had to be approved and checked by a team of sub-editors, followed by final story checking by the editor himself/herself and even an army of experienced proofreaders.
Currently, reports are filed online or on a local area network, read, cross-checked, and amended electronically, saving both time and money. People from all walks of life required assistance in understanding their surroundings, which is why mass media arose.
Throughout history, newspapers have excelled at gathering, recording, and disseminating information at various levels and geographic locations. Newspapers must reaffirm their mission as they adapt in response to technological advancements. In fact, determining what constitutes news is more important than ever.
And the ability to do so within the context of new technology is critical to newspapers’ survival. In a recent New York Times Magazine column, veteran journalist Frankel (2005:38) predicts that the newspapers that thrive in the next century will be those that provide the best journalism, master the subjects on which they write, and develop the talent and expertise to appraise and explain an infinite variety of events.
Newspapers can rely on the growing computer sector to create the technologies that will eventually replace their presses and delivery trucks. To survive in the digital age, they will require talented editors, writers, and visual painters who can discover meaning in the looming information overload. Today, the introduction of modern commercial printing machines has
The newspaper industry is now able to print copies with well-defined properties, capable of producing high precision graphic prints, as well as other direct mail printing services. Modern digital printing machines print 30,000 or more copies per hour, compared to 3000 to 4000 copies per hour published by traditional printing presses.
According to Tony (2004:4), the use of digital inkjet proofing and colour management has allowed newspapers to generate output from distributed printing facilities while minimising the potential of colour loss and poor print quality.
The emergence of insertion and distribution technologies, which enable newspapers customise and manufacture targeted products, has boosted decentralised printing distribution even further.
Previously, traditional newspapers could only communicate stories through text and photos, but with the emergence of new media technologies, journalists can now tell stories through numerous channels.
This boosts the story’s credibility. It also allows users (readers) to take an active role in the development of knowledge. In other words, it transforms users from passive recipients of information into active participants in information generation.
According to the medium strengths and weaknesses barometer above, internet news services are more versatile and adaptable than other traditional forms of news media (Craig, 2005:13). This is especially true because internet services integrate all of the features available in traditional news media.
It is also because online news services may provide a triple play (video, text, and audio), but traditional news media outlets can only supply one.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The use of manual processes in journalism has long been a source of concern for the newspaper industry. Manual newspaper production procedures, not only in Nigeria but around the world, take longer and require more workers than contemporary processes, yet create less copies.
This time-consuming process has an impact on the industry’s financial base because it requires more personnel and time to create fewer copies, which frequently fail to fulfil both deadlines and demand.
The reliance on manual production also resulted in tiresome duties for reporters, correspondents, editors, copywriters, and the distribution department. This research endeavour aims to solve these and other challenges.
The use of the Internet has changed the manual production process. Technology advancement and adoption in the newspaper industry have enhanced the printing process and reduced the operating time of the editorial desk.
The journalist, correspondent, or editorial department responsible with the collection of information and news (Journalist) might obtain information while in the office with minimal trouble thanks to current technology.
Though modern technology has added certain costs, it has also provided benefits in exchange. Portable computers allow reporters working away from the main office to deliver stories quickly, simply, and reliably via modem, rather than transferring them to a typewriter or a rewrite desk as in manual production.
Most journalists, particularly freelancers, benefit from the opportunity to submit stories and contact with editors online, since they formerly delivered their finished work by hand. They can now work for publications remote from the office without worrying about the time and cost of completing tasks.
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