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Other articles in the RAP 21 Newsletter n° 12/2003:
The Business of Newspapers
Personnel management: More on how to manage a newsroom
Newsletter n° 12
THE BUSINESS OF NEWSPAPERS NEW TECHNOLOGIES

New technologies: The influence of ICT on African Newspapers

There are many African countries where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has already had a great impact on the media scene. This way of dealing with both communication and material transfer could revolutionise African newspapers.

Kunda Chinyanta Mwila is a Zambian web development specialist with much experience in journalism. He is vice board chairman of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter. He tells RAP 21 about how he sees the future of ICT and African newspapers.

RAP 21: Which changes has ICT brought to African newspapers?

Mr Mwila: Africa is a diverse and multi-faceted continent in the sense that countries like South Africa and most North African countries, such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, got advanced communication infrastructure earlier than countries in sub-saharan Africa, for example Zambia, Tanzania and Ghana.

The introduction of ICT has led to a change in type-setting, layout, designing and printing infrastructure at most African newspapers. For instance in Zambia, which is representative of sub-Saharan Africa, almost no newspapers use typewriters for typesetting or editing their news stories, or for page layout or designing. Instead they are now using computers to typeset, edit and design their publications.

There’s also been a lot of transformation in the communication infrastructure. Instead of using telex and fax machines to send or receive material, many newspapers today use e-mail or computer networks for such purposes. Mobile and satellite telephones, and general improvement of landlines have made it possible for newspapers to get stories from a reporter stationed anywhere.

It’s worth mentioning that the fax machines still remains an integral part of communication in many media houses and not all newspapers have taken the full advantage of ICT.

RAP 21: Why has there not been greater change?

Mr Mwila: The most prominent reason for failure by media houses to fully incorporate ICT in their daily operations is financial constraint. It is very difficult for most newspapers, for instance in Zambia, to run profitably, hence they are constrained with money to invest in ICT infrastructure. For example, the cheapest PC costs around US$ 1,000, a cost many media houses can hardly contemplate. Although many media houses have an internet connection, the monthly subscription is still high (an average of US$ 20 per month) and this might be uneconomic for small newspapers.

In the rural set-up of most African countries, there is no infrastructure to support the existence and availability of ICT. Even where they might exist, the cost is even higher than those in urban areas. Hence, many media houses in rural set-ups have to continue with the old communication tools.

There is also the aspect of the high-level of computer illiteracy in Africa, from which the journalism profession has not been spared. Most old journalists have no knowledge of computers and even modern trained ones have limited abilities. Therefore, even where ICT facilities exist, no maximum usage may be applied.

RAP 21: How would you say that ICT could ideally change the African newsrooms?

Mr Mwila: Once fully adopted and adapted, the ICT will transform the newsrooms into cabled and networked centres with all journalists discharging stories onto a network, editors picking them before sending them to the page designers or casters in the case of electronic media. Basically, the newsrooms will utilise all the available ICT to easily coordinate material for publication or broadcasting and also to communicate among staff.

RAP 21: How could an African newsroom with, for example, 20 employees benefit from ICT in their daily work?

Mr Mwila: With accurate deployment of ICT, newsrooms will be able to efficiently coordinate material, communicate easily with all members of the staff and easily send materials for publication or broadcasting. For instance, instead of individuals getting copy from one desk to another, the ICT will enable copy and articles to flow on a local area network (LAN), drastically reducing the time lag in passing materials.

RAP 21: Can you give me an example of an African newsroom where ICT has made a radical difference?

Mr Mwila: The Post newspaper in Zambia has fully networked its newsroom which has improved tremendously in copy and material flow from the reporter to the editor, to the graphic and page designers and to the printers. The Post’s use of internet or e-mail facilities also enable the staff to easily access especially international stories. There is no doubt that ICT will transform the African newsrooms for the better.
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