TECHNOLOGY IMPACT DIFFERENTLY ON DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF JOURNALISM

By Gilbert Kofi Adarkwah

The revolution in new technology is clearly changing the way people live, and it has created a highly competitive environment for those who provide news and information to the public. But this impact is not the same to all sections of journalism; the impact of new technological development on journalism differs from section to section within the journalism profession.

This was disclosed in an interview with Martin Nkosi Ndlela, about his recently completed project on ’the implications of new technological development on the core principles of the Journalism profession in Norway.

Below is a transcript of the interview

Thank you very much Dr. Ndlela for your time.

Q: Please can you tell us what your project about?

A: The research was done under the auspices of The Council for Applied Media Research (Rådet for Anvendt Medieforskning-(RAM)) and financed by the Norwegian Media Authority. The main objective of the project was to assess the implications of new technological developments on the core principles of the journalism profession in Norway. The research follows unprecedented technological developments and the concerns raised over their implication to journalism practice, audiences/users and quality. This research focused on the interplay between new technology and the journalistic practices. The main research questions are; what are the implications of technological developments on the core principles of journalism in Norway and how is the journalism profession responding to the dynamic operational environments? While these questions were originally intended for the entire journalism profession, it became apparent during the study that technology impacts differently to different sections of journalism. This study therefore has a bias towards print journalism, more particularly towards news journalism. The most salient aspect of the research is that it is a study of change and its implications for the profession of journalism, and the media in general. Methodologically, in-depth interviews followed by a web-based survey were used to collate data. Research findings point to the fact that while there are a number of identifiable negatives associated with rapid technological changes, for example emergence of new ethical frontiers, time pressure, quality compromises, the majority of journalists in Norway are positive to technological changes. Technology is perceived as an important tool in the exercise of journalism. At the same time it is creating divisions between those who have mastered the new tools and those who have not.

Q: Did you enjoy working on this project?

A: Working on this project has been a wonderful experience. It gave me an opportunity to dig deeper into the subject area, to meet other people working on the same problem area, national and international

Q: Were there any challenges? How did you overcome them?

A: There were of course challenges along the way. Mind you one is dealing with a moving object with strong pessimism and optimism on the future of journalism. The most significant challenge has been coping with diversity of viewpoints in journalism research literature. To some newspaper journalism has no future!

Q: What is the secret to writing a successful project work?

A: To get the result accepted for publication in an international journal, or book or present the finding in an international conference.

Q: Do you have any advice for future researchers?

A: There is no need to fear that your project proposal would be rejected. In some cases 7 out of 10 project proposals do not get funding. The same applies to articles submitted to international journals.