COMMUNITY MEDIA

IN ZAMBIA
Background research done
BY
Sr. Rose Nyondo
F. Muzyamba
R. Nyondo

IMPACT OF NEW MEDIA

ON JOURNALISM
NEW TOOLS OF
JOURNALISM
CAN COMMUNITY MEDIA
COPE ?
R. Nyondo

THE NEW MEDIA

Its all on the NET and thrives on new
technology
Its Google, Your Tube :
Face book, Linked In, Tweeters, My
Space, user generated content (UGC)
like CNNs I-Report or our won Cop,
eye-witness, etc
R. Nyondo

The New Media

Its the blogs -- journalists are creating their
own blogs and profiles and generating
unique audiences to their sites
Its the digital revolution
It takes about 15 to 20 minutes of lab time
to teach a student to open and manage
his/her own blog.

R. Nyondo

NEW MEDIA
Changed information gathering,
editing, packaging, dissemination
and are re-shaping journalism in
ways wed never have imagined
possible
We can write and edit from
anywhere; we can outsource roles
such as subbing. The sub editor does
not need to be in the newsroom

R. Nyondo

Informatiom overload, We
have lots to choose from, real
time news
Present the most dramatic
form of free flow of and
access to information
Helps to bypass the censors
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DISTINCT FEATURES
Heavily technology based
Its all about the message, not
the MEDIUM
Not restrictive -- anybody can
use it
Multiple platforms all in one go
Allows widest reach ever
R. Nyondo

IMPACT
Digital piracy -- copyright issues
(Google, Yahoo, All Africa.com and
other content aggregators
Has spawned a whole new
phenomenon of citizen journalism
Crowd of consumers who,
empowered by new technologies,
have decided that traditional media
are no longer relevant in today's
society ??
R. Nyondo

IMPACT
So everyone is now a journalist (mobile phone or
digital camera upload content and publish on
any of the numerous available sites or on your
own blog or send to a newsroom of your choice

EXAMPLE OF THE TSUNAMI PICTURES

News and info are available anywhere, anytime. A

lot to choose from AND ITS ALL FREE
New terminologies -- maximization of information
-- and this can only be good for society
R. Nyondo

IMPACT
Death of professional
journalism?
Accountability, ethics,
standards are at risk.

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Impact
How to enforce ethics: how
do you tell that growing
crowd of non-journalists that
you dont control To check
and double-check their
stories before sending them
to you/ How to keep out
hearsay, rumour, gossip or
avoid being manipulated?
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Impact
What about gate-keepers?
Have they lost their
employment?
More of quantity than
quality

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IMPACT
Digital onslaught -- new roles,
medium neutral titles.
Newsroom integration and
convergence who breaks the
news first? Online distribution
becoming part of our job
description. But the Community
media in Zambia are far from
being ready.

R. Nyondo

Impact
Notion of Day Two journalism
-- background and context

More analyses, commentaries,

in-depth reporting, investigative
journalism, unique and specialist
content. You can give more for
those who want more. A patient
of breast cancer will not mind
more space to that story.
R. Nyondo

IMPACT
Plagiarism much easier to
do, but also to detect,
forcing journalists to be
more creative in the way
they cheat.
Example of Students at Mass
Comm.

Impact
Research is childs play. All
you need to do is Google
Story narration is changing
using new tools, its no
longer just words and
spaces we can add
audio/video, get story
subjects bios or information
on them
Investment in training in the
new media
R. Nyondo

CHALLENGES

Resistance to change -traditional media rivalries

persist
Higher compensation for
publishing on multiple
platforms
How to maintain
professionalism as we know
it (ethics, values, etc)

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Challenges
Taking the newspaper in
particular to the next level

Newsrooms -- fewer or more

journalists
Has community media been
prepared to meet these
challenges ?
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Challenges
Publication of a small community
media
House has more audience than just
its geographical reach.
A Community media paper or radio
station in Zambia can reach Russia,
South America, Australia etc
We need to be more professional
than we are now!
R. Nyondo

Challenges

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Research done with my colleague

F. Muzyamba revealed that:
Comty Media houses need
training
They need the new Technologies
and training on how to use them.
Urgent need to Resource
management
Means of generating finances.
Knowledge of media laws and Ethics

R. Nyondo

Challenges
Employment patterns have to change
A CV. With IT experience will be
more than an added advantage.
Creativity and new ideas to beat the
stiff competition will be the most
needed commodities

R. Nyondo

Conclusion
Most Community Media houses
in Zambia are not ready for the
new Technologies.
Training needs to be our next
and most urgent priority.
Facing the new challenges , the
State needs to rethink its
regulatory framework?
R. Nyondo

THANK YOU
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

R. Nyondo