The Case For New Media: Quality And Professionalism In Journalism

THE recent successful introduction of SMS pages in The Namibian, where readers can send in their comments on various topics featured in the day’s news pages, has highlighted the fact that media technology is not a concept reserved for the elite and technologically savvy, but something that has passionately been adopted by all Namibians, across the spectrum.

These SMS pages, of course, are just one example of new media technology, but give an indication of how empowering such technology can be. For the first time readers have been given a chance to comment on (or add corrections to) a story within 24 hours.The other unique aspect of SMSs, of course, is the fact that they are restricted in terms of the number of characters.This not only forces readers to be concise in their formulation of responses, but also allows many more readers’ views to be accommodated than on, say, a traditional letters page.At the Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa, this SMS technology and its implications for journalism was just one of the many topics raised, looking in particular at the theme of ‘Quality and professionalism in the media: the case for new media’.Speakers noted the rise of cellphones, the decrease (in real terms) in the cost of cellphones, and their increased capabilities (camera phones, WAP and Internet access).All of which has allowed citizens to engage in the media in a more meaningful way, and has allowed media to become driven by readers and not by journalists.Professor Fackson Banda, Chair of media and democracy at Rhodes University, gave an impassioned call for adoption of new media technologies.In his opinions these would achieve the ultimate objective of ‘allowing us to become human again.’ This has, of course, raised essential questions among journalists, who have been asked to rethink their own profession (or as Thabo Leshilo, editor in Chief of the Sowetan) stated, controversially, ‘a craft’.In an age when front-page photographs are taken by readers (the recent example showing a young boy smoking and carrying a beer – sent in by a reader and displayed on the front page of Republikein), and stories are filed by readers, who exactly is a journalist? What is the role of the journalist in this new media environment, and, ethically, is everyone now a paparazzo? The London underground bombings too showed how ordinary citizens and not journalists were the first on the scene and the first with photographs.Closer to home, the horrific picture carried on the front page of The Namibian of a traffic accident in the North (complete with dead driver and passengers still inside the vehicle) were not taken by a journalist but were ‘contributed’.A sign of the times is a notice on the wall of the changing room at the Virgin Active gym in Windhoek, stating that ‘no paparazzi’ (members with camera cellphones) are to be allowed.Apart from this concept of ‘citizen journalists’, there is also the change in the direction of media flow.Traditionally, the role of an editor was to be a ‘gatekeeper’ – literally ‘opening the gate’ and allowing publication of the stories which he or she believed would be of interest to the reader of the publication.That has now changed.The reader now becomes the editor.We live in an age of personalised home pages and personalised newspapers, whereby the reader will decide what they are interested in and receive stories in those particular areas (sport, entertainment, science news, etc).This goes one stage further with RSS feeds (Real Simple Syndication).This is a ‘push’ rather than ‘pull’ technology.Instead of the reader searching for material that interests them, the RSS feed will ‘push’ or deliver that information to the reader automatically.Blogs (‘WeB logs’) are online ‘diaries’ that are increasingly being used by journalists to elaborate on their print stories.For more information and detail the reader can, to complement the traditional print story, log on to the journalist’s blog and get more information (both in text form as well as photographs).Again, the technology is simple and easily accessible, and citizens (as opposed to ‘professional’ journalists) are also becoming writers, telling their stories on a daily basis from their point of view.Zimbabwe residents, for example, are increasingly becoming ‘bloggers’, giving the rest of the world a clear outline (from their personal perspective) of their experiences.And, apart from words and photographs, blogs can also increasingly include other media (so-called ‘multimedia’ content) including audio (‘podcasts’) and video.Again, professional journalists are having to become multimedia experts, with the traditional ‘print’ journalist not only having to master writing skills, but also photography, video and audio.Mathew Buckland of Mail and Guardian, however, expressed the view that professional journalists nevertheless need to have sound professional skills.He stated that their publication would not allow content to be put online that was of poor technical quality.Allowing a print journalist to present an audio story, would, in his opinion, not lead to quality journalism and in the end would be self-defeating.Similarly, Mark van der Velden of SAPA (South African Press Association) felt that there was still a need for the basic principles of journalism to be adhered to.The ideas of balance, accuracy and objectivity, as well as the basics of ‘Who, what, where, when, why and how’ were, in his view, still vital parts of a journalist’s toolkit, even in the age of new technologies and new methods of delivery.All of which empowers Africans to tell their own stories and not rely on large international news organisations (Reuters, AFP, BBC, etc) to tell their stories for them.Launched earlier this year, and a strong presence at the conference, was SABC International, allowing African viewers (including those in Namibia – using the free-to-air decoders) to view African stories from an African perspective.This included many live transmissions of debates from the conference.Allowing such stations is not only satellite distribution, but also the ongoing process of digitalisation.Indeed, local Namibian broadcasters will soon have to adopt, whether they like it or not, digital modes of transmission.The international agreement is that broadcasters must change by 2015, and, as the NBC discovered some years ago, the process of upgrading to new digital equipment is not a matter of if, but when.Soon, spare parts and other crucial maintenance items become simply unavailable and viewers and listeners also demand the higher quality of digital transmissions.The disastrous investment by the SABC back in the 1990s in analogue satellite transmission (Astrasat) showed how incorrect forecasting of future trends can be financially extremely harmful.Other advantages of digital transmission include job creation (the millions of set-top converter boxes that must be manufactured) as well as increased opportunities for programme production (more channels will require a lot more programme material).Other aspects raised during the conference included the issue of payment (should journalists receive ‘extra’ payment for Internet stories? Should readers receive money for submitting photographs and stories?), the issue of the Internet versions of publications ‘undermining’ sales of the print copies (one solution – from Media 24 – was to use the Internet to ‘supplement’ traditional print copies rather than simply putting all print material (free) on-line.A few years ago, with cellphones costing over N$5 000, it seemed like a very elitist technology.Now, with basic cellphones costing under N$500, it has become the technology of choice, with 600 000 cellphones in Namibia and only 100 000 landlines.On a global scale there are 2,5 billion cellphone users, and over 800 million new cellphones were sold globally in 2006.How the media can use this technology is the challenge.One speaker stimulated by conjecturing how cellphones could be used for developmental and empowerment purposes.He suggested, for instance, services of information on HIV-AIDS and other topics which could be delivered via SMS Technology (in the language of choice) to people needing the information – particularly those with little other choice of media.The challenge for Namibian media will not be whether to embrace these new technologies, but how to apply them so as to ensure they stay relevant in changing landscapes.* Robin Tyson is Lecturer: Media Studies at the University of NamibiaFor the first time readers have been given a chance to comment on (or add corrections to) a story within 24 hours.The other unique aspect of SMSs, of course, is the fact that they are restricted in terms of the number of characters.This not only forces readers to be concise in their formulation of responses, but also allows many more readers’ views to be accommodated than on, say, a traditional letters page.At the Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa, this SMS technology and its implications for journalism was just one of the many topics raised, looking in particular at the theme of ‘Quality and professionalism in the media: the case for new media’.Speakers noted the rise of cellphones, the decrease (in real terms) in the cost of cellphones, and their increased capabilities (camera phones, WAP and Internet access).All of which has allowed citizens to engage in the media in a more meaningful way, and has allowed media to become driven by readers and not by journalists.Professor Fackson Banda, Chair of media and democracy at Rhodes University, gave an impassioned call for adoption of new media technologies.In his opinions these would achieve the ultimate objective of ‘allowing us to become human again.’ This has, of course, raised essential questions among journalists, who have been asked to rethink their own profession (or as Thabo Leshilo, editor in Chief of the Sowetan) stated, controversially, ‘a craft’.In an age when front-page photographs are taken by readers (the recent example showing a young boy smoking and carrying a beer – sent in by a reader and displayed on the front page of Republikein), and stories are filed by readers, who exactly is a journalist? What is the role of the journalist in this new media environment, and, ethically, is everyone now a paparazzo? The London underground bombings too showed how ordinary citizens and not journalists were the first on the scene and the first with photographs.Closer to home, the horrific picture carried on the front page of The Namibian of a traffic accident in the North (complete with dead driver and passengers still inside the vehicle) were not taken by a journalist but were ‘contributed’.A sign of the times is a notice on the wall of the changing room at the Virgin Active gym in Windhoek, stating that ‘no paparazzi’ (members with camera cellphones) are to be allowed.Apart from this concept of ‘citizen journalists’, there is also the change in the direction of media flow.Traditionally, the role of an editor was to be a ‘gatekeeper’ – literally ‘opening the gate’ and allowing publication of the stories which he or she believed would be of interest to the reader of the publication.That has now changed.The reader now becomes the editor.We live in an age of personalised home pages and personalised newspapers, whereby the reader will decide what they are interested in and receive stories in those particular areas (sport, entertainment, science news, etc).This goes one stage further with RSS feeds (Real Simple Syndication).This is a ‘push’ rather than ‘pull’ technology.Instead of the reader searching for material that interests them, the RSS feed will ‘push’ or deliver that information to the reader automatically. Blogs (‘WeB logs’) are online ‘diaries’ that are increasingly being used by journalists to elaborate on their print stories.For more information and detail the reader can, to complement the traditional print story, log on to the journalist’s blog and get more information (both in text form as well as photographs).Again, the technology is simple and easily accessible, and citizens (as opposed to ‘professional’ journalists) are also becoming writers, telling their stories on a daily basis from their point of view.Zimbabwe residents, for example, are increasingly becoming ‘bloggers’, giving the rest of the world a clear outline (from their personal perspective) of their experiences.And, apart from words and photographs, blogs can also increasingly include other media (so-called ‘multimedia’ content) including audio (‘podcasts’) and video.Again, professional journalists are having to become multimedia experts, with the traditional ‘print’ journalist not only having to master writing skills, but also photography, video and audio.Mathew Buckland of Mail and Guardian, however, expressed the view that professional journalists nevertheless need to have sound professional skills.He stated that their publication would not allow content to be put online that was of poor technical quality.Allowing a print journalist to present an audio story, would, in his opinion, not lead to quality journalism and in the end would be self-defeating.Similarly, Mark van der Velden of SAPA (South African Press Association) felt that there was still a need for the basic principles of journalism to be adhered to.The ideas of balance, accuracy and objectivity, as well as the basics of ‘Who, what, where, when, why and how’ were, in his view, still vital parts of a journalist’s toolkit, even in the age of new technologies and new methods of delivery.All of which empowers Africans to tell their own stories and not rely on large international news organisations (Reuters, AFP, BBC, etc) to tell their stories for them.Launched earlier this year, and a strong presence at the conference, was SABC International, allowing African viewers (including those in Namibia – using the free-to-air decoders) to view African stories from an African perspective.This included many live transmissions of debates from the conference.Allowing such stations is not only satellite distribution, but also the ongoing process of digitalisation.Indeed, local Namibian broadcasters will soon have to adopt, whether they like it or not, digital modes of transmission.The international agreement is that broadcasters must change by 2015, and, as the NBC discovered some years ago, the process of upgrading to new digital equipment is not a matter of if, but when.Soon, spare parts and other crucial maintenance items become simply unavailable and viewers and listeners also demand the higher quality of digital transmissions. The disastrous investment by the SABC back in the 1990s in analogue satellite transmission (Astrasat) showed how incorrect forecasting of future trends can be financially extremely harmful.Other advantages of digital transmission include job creation (the millions of set-top converter boxes that must be manufactured) as well as increased opportunities for programme production (more channels will require a lot more programme material).Other aspects raised during the conference included the issue of payment (should journalists receive ‘extra’ payment for Internet stories? Should readers receive money for submitting photographs and stories?), the issue of the Internet versions of publications ‘undermining’ sales of the print copies (one solution – from Media 24 – was to use the Internet to ‘supplement’ traditional print copies rather than simply putting all print material (free) on-line.A few years ago, with cellphones costing over N$5 000, it seemed like a very elitist technology.Now, with basic cellphones costing under N$500, it has become the technology of choice, with 600 000 cellphones in Namibia and only 100 000 landlines.On a global scale there are 2,5 billion cellphone users, and over 800 million new cellphones were sold globally in 2006.How the media can use this technology is the challenge.One speaker stimulated by conjecturing how cellphones could be used for developmental and empowerment purposes.He suggested, for instance, services of information on HIV-AIDS and other topics which could be delivered via SMS Technology (in the language of choice) to people needing the information – particularly those with little other choice of media.The challenge for Namibian media will not be whether to embrace these new technologies, but how to apply them so as to ensure they stay relevant in changing landscapes.* Robin Tyson is Lecturer: Media Studies at the University of Namibia