Abstract
The
purpose of this study is to find out “The Impacts of Information Communication
Technologies on print media in Nigeria: A study of some selected print media
houses in Nigeria” As a study on the aspect of impact, the survey method was
used to ascertain the impacts of ICT’s in newspaper production. The population
of this study was drawn from Nation, Sun and punch. Questionnaire was used as
the instrument for data collection. From the data collected and analyzed,
various findings were made. These findings can be summarized by saying that
newspaper industry in Nigeria makes use of information communication
technologies in their production process. Newspaper industries in Nigeria have
been using ICT’s for a long time: ICT’s make newspaper production easier. The
adoption of ICT’s has changed newspaper production process in Nigeria. ICT’s
have much impact on newsgathering. The adoptions of ICT’s have made the future
of newspaper industry in Nigeria bright. To a large extent, the adoptions of
ICT’s in newspaper industry have caused unemployment
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
of the study
With
the invention of the telegraph, radio and television, print newspapers have
faced challenges over the decades, yet publishers have always adapted and
persevered. However, the Internet is proving to be a far more dangerous foe to
the traditional newspaper model. Faced with such an adversary, small and large
newspapers alike may have no choice but to abandon their traditional methods
for a more innovative approach. Newspaper companies around the globe are
changing their mode of producing and distributing news (Clemons & Lang
2003). The changes are due to a continuous decline in newspaper circulation,
readership, and advertisers. The decline is as a result of changing reader’s
consumption, which according to Sternvik et al, (2008) & Fortunati &
Sarrica (2010) is caused by the Internet. Internet has resulted in newspaper
consumers developing the habit of wanting interne news, free news, quick news
and interactivity i.e news blog and user-generated content (Freer, 2007 &
Sternvik et al, 2008). The inability of traditional newspapers to provide all
these emerging perks has prompted a prediction that many newspaper companies
will be forced to change in order to survive; adapting the style, the content,
and the design of the newspaper as well as adopting new technology, which
empower consumer’s involvement. New product development is viewed as a key for
responding to declining product consumption caused by consumer changing needs
(Nystrom, 1985). It is defined as a modification of existing product and an
introduction of a new product that meets contemporary needs (Foxall, 1998 &
Leonard, 1998). It could be the creation of products with additional or
different characteristics that offer new or additional benefits to consumers. However,
it should be pointed out that the relative inability of some African countries
to establish a strong presence on the web means the journalists are still
compelled to source African news from established western news agencies and
cable channels. The new technologies may have facilitated faster access to news
about Africa and other foreign countries but disparity remains in the level of
Internet accessibility in some African countries (Obijiofor et al, 2000). Thus,
the more African countries establish their presence on the web, the easier it
is for journalists to access news about those countries. In this regard, the
paucity of the new technologies in many African countries has reduced the
capacity for information sharing among African journalists. In a comparative
study of Singaporean and Nigerian journalists’ perceptions of the new
technologies, Obijiofor (2001) found that journalists in the two countries hold
different views in regard to the impact of the Internet on journalism practice.
Singaporean journalists believe the Internet has enabled them to focus more on
regional news, particularly the positive news genre in developing Southeast
Asian countries that do not receive prominence from western news agencies. As
the deputy foreign editor of the Straits Times (Singapore) explained in an
interview: “The [western] agencies tend to focus, for example, on human rights
angle or prostitution in Thailand and other negative news… There must be more
in Thailand than prostitution. The new technologies allow us to go into each
country to see what else is out there, to determine the news ourselves rather
than have the news determined for us by the western news agencies” [Personal
interview](Obijiofor, 2001). It must be noted that Singapore is not a
developing country. However, the level of technological development in
Singapore may have informed the way Singaporean journalists perceived the new
technologies. Nigerian journalists on the other hand believe the new
technologies have enabled them to diversify their sources of news and also to
rely less on the major western news agencies (Obijiofor, 2001).
Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the entire system of
newspaper production in Nigeria. Both the print and broadcast media are
affected in one way or the other by the information revolution. Information is
the primary input as well as the final output of Newspaper industry. It
collects raw information and converts it into categorized, defined and useful
pieces of information. Therefore it will not be an exaggeration to say that the
radical changes brought in the realm of information through Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) revolution are bound to affect Newspaper more than any
other industry. The adoption and absorption of Information and Communication
Technologies are being carried out in newspaper industry by bringing
efficiencies in all the functional wings including newsgathering, production,
editorial and marketing so as to gain competitive advantage (Indo American
Print summit 2008:153). Information and Communication technologies are now used
not just by press but increasingly by reporters and editors also in Nigeria.
Its benefits are being recognized at every point of the entire supply chain of
newspaper production. The impact of Information and Communication technologies
on every aspect of Newspaper, on the product, the production process, marketing
and distribution in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. According to Chris
(2001:7), technology development and absorption in Newspaper industry improved
the printing process and reduced the operating time of editorial desks. The
profuse use of online content and facilities has led to dominance of
many-to-many model over one-to-many model of information collection. The
individual or the department entrusted for the collection of information and
news (Journalist) could gather information as per own and others convenience.
1.1
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
One
obvious impact of the new technologies is the empowerment of news consumers on
a global scale. The Internet has enabled news consumers to make decisions
regarding what they want to read or hear, when to read that information and to
choose which medium to patronise. Anyone who can access the Internet is
guaranteed almost as much information and data as professional journalists
have. In essence, media consumers who feel dissatisfied with the quality of service
provided by a particular news medium could readily look for alternatives
elsewhere. The notion of loyalty to a particular news medium has become
untenable it is in lieu of this that the researcher decides to investigate the
impact of the internet on newspaper production.
1.2
OBJECTIVE
OF THE STUDY
The
main objective of the study is to investigate the impact of the internet on
newspaper production. But to aid the completion of the study, the researcher
intends to achieve the following objective;
i)
To ascertain the impact of internet on
newspaper production
ii)
To investigate the role of ICT on news reportage
iii)
To investigate if there is any relationship
between digital journalism and traditional journalism on news reportage
iv)
To ascertain the financial implication of
online reporting and the print media
1.3
RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
For
the successful completion of the study, the following hypotheses were
formulated by the researcher;
H0: the
internet has no impact on newspaper production
H1: the
internet has a significant impact on newspaper production
H0: ICT
does not play any significant role on news reportage
H2: ICT
do play a significant role on news reportage.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
It
is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of great
importance to the management of newspaper houses or print media as the study
seeks to elaborate on the impact and competition the internet has brought on
the traditional news media outlet.
The
study will also be of great importance to journalist and news editors as the
advent of internet has come to broaden and change the scope and way of
journalism. The study will also be of importance to researcher who intends to
carry out study in similar topic as the study will serve as a reference point.
Finally the study will be of significance to academia, student, teachers,
lecturers and the general public as the findings will also contribute to the
pool of knowledge.
1.5
SCOPE
AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The
scope of the study covers the impact of internet on newspaper production. but
in the course of the study there were some factors which militated against the
scope of the study;
a)
AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research
material available to the researcher
is insufficient, thereby limiting the study.
b)
TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does
not enhance wider coverage as the
researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
c)
FINANCE: The finance available for the research
work does not allow for wider
coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills to
cover.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Internet
Internet is the global system
of interconnected computer networks that
use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to
link devices worldwide. It is a network
of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business,
and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of
electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries
an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the
inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of
the World Wide Web(WWW), electronic mail, telephony,
and file sharing
Newspapers
A newspaper is a serial publication containing news about current events,
other informative articles about politics,
sports, arts, and so on, and advertising. A
newspaper is usually, but not exclusively, printed on relatively inexpensive,
low-grade paper such
as newsprint.
News
News is information about
current events. Journalists provide news through many
different media, based on word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, and also on their
own testimony, as witnesses of
relevant events.
News production
Journalistic Production Theoretical
Framework. Defining news is
the first step to decoding the process of news production. According to Nossek (2008), “news is a genre of mass media
content resulting from journalists’ information gathering and editors’
decisions and following professional practices and norms.
1.8
ORGANIZATION
OF THE STUDY
This
research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows
Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview,
of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study, research
question, significance or the study, research methodology, definition of terms
and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlight the theoretical
framework on which the study its based, thus the review of related literature.
Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the
study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and
presentation of finding. Chapter five
gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.