Audience Perception Of Nigerian Newspapers On The Internet

Audience Perception Of Nigerian Newspapers On The Internet

Introduction To Chapter One 1.1 Background Of The Study

The Internet is rapidly becoming a key source of news. The internet is a global network of networked computers that employ telecommunications resources. Ani (2010) defines it as a worldwide network comprised of a big number of computers. The computers in the network communicate with one another and share data. The internet, with all of its powers, has altered how we live, study, and work. The internet allows us to contact with people all around the world, regardless of where they are. According to wikipedia.com (2007), the Internet began in the early 1960s as a glimmer in the eye of the United States Department of Defense, which envisaged it as a way of supercomputer communication for researchers and military facilities across the country. Until the 1990s, the Internet was a relatively unknown network of linked computers used mostly by academics, military researchers, and scientists around the world to send and receive electronic mail, move files, and find or retrieve information from databases.

Anyone who has followed the Internet sector over the previous decade may have witnessed an incredible sequence of events. Moving from a medium with absolutely no presence in the marketing environment to one that has become the focal point. The Internet witnessed a boom, which sadly turned out to be a collapse. What some imagined would be the “all and end all” of communications is now a mystery waiting to be solved, since many people have yet to learn what role the Internet will play in their communications program (Ashong, 2017).

The internet has caused a massive revolution in the field of mass media. The newspaper industry is one of them. The internet has fundamentally transformed the printing sector, with newspapers taking the lead. People no longer have to wait 24 hours for newspapers to keep them up to date on what is going on in the globe since newspapers now have ‘breaking news,’ which was previously only available to the TV business. People no longer have to wait for the vendor(s) to deliver the newsprint before learning what is going on in the newspapers (Edegoh, 2015).

More than 50 million Americans get their news from the Internet on a daily basis (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2006). According to the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), 112 million individuals viewed online news sites in the first quarter of 2006. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of Americans say the Internet is their primary source of news, and 44% get news online at least once a week (Pew Research Center, 2005). Furthermore, more news sites are turning a profit, and news companies are investing more in online journalism.

However, concerns have been expressed concerning the trustworthiness of online news (Edegoh, 2015). These problems are significant since trustworthiness is the foundation of journalism (France, 1999). The public is less likely to pay attention to the press if they do not believe or trust it (Edegoh, 2012).

According to Igwe (2013), a lack of trust in information gained via the Internet may prevent it from becoming an even more prominent and influential news source.

A variety of studies have been conducted to investigate audience views of the reliability of Internet information. However, despite the fact that most journalists use Internet information in their job, little scholarly attention has been dedicated to journalists’ judgments of online news reliability. According to one research, over two-thirds (64%) of journalists utilize news from the Internet in their reporting at least occasionally (EURO RSCG Magnet & Columbia University Survey of the Media, 2005). Furthermore, more than 90% of journalists believe that the Internet has had a significant impact on how they do their professions (Babalola, 2002).

According to Amankwah (2010), the Internet has caused a shift in the function of journalists in the communication process. Journalists in the twenty-first century are no longer selecting what information the public should know, but rather assisting audiences in making sense of it. Similarly, the Project for Excellence in Journalism (2004) claims that the increased availability of news and information from both legal and illegitimate sources “increases the demand for the journalist as referee, watchdog, and interpreter.”

This study investigates how print and online daily newspaper readers view Nigerian newspapers on the internet in terms of the reliability of online news content, as well as the impact of numerous elements, most notably journalists’ professional job conceptions, on such perceptions. Daily newspapers were picked since they have the most audience. (Amankwah,2010).

The internet has recently been viewed as the greatest threat to the newspaper. According to Babalola (2002), television caused newspapers to adapt the way they did business and supplied their readers, and internet computer networks are now the medium’s greatest challenge. Newspaper classified advertising profits are already being eroded by online job search and auto sales services.

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to the growth of online newspapers is often regarded as a potentially harmful phenomenon. The merger of the internet with newspapers may be regarded as the best thing to happen to the industry. The entire globe is rapidly adopting information and communication technologies in all aspects of life, and the newspaper industry cannot be left behind. The changing face of the newspaper industry would not have been possible without the confluence of the newspaper and modern technology used in the sector. According to Babalola (2002), “this convergence has led to newspapers all over the world reinventing themselves and becoming more user-friendly, more casual, more lifestyle-oriented, and more in touch with youth…”

Nigeria’s newspaper sector has followed the global trend of producing daily newspapers on the internet. There is no denying that the majority of Nigerian newspapers are now available on the internet. Many online newspaper readers have had to deal with the issue of the credibility of news sources and identifying the reporters or authors of internet pieces. The internet has not only revolutionized mass media information delivery, but it has also significantly transformed traditional news gathering and processing methods. This has definitely harmed the trustworthiness of news reports on the internet, and newspapers are not immune. According to Babalola (2002), accessing the authenticity of much material is challenging. Edegoh (2015) aptly supports Babalola’s above argument, adding that because there is no gate keeping mechanism that allows for editing, confirming facts and establishing veracity before web content is released becomes difficult.

1.2 Problem Statement

The internet is widely regarded as one of the greatest communication inventions of contemporary times. This is mostly due to its convergence power, which has also been exploited to bring other traditional media to a common plane (Edegoh, 2015). The newspaper is one of the conventional media that has undergone significant transformation in recent years. The face of the newspaper in Nigeria is changing dramatically. Nigerian newspapers, like the London Times, New York Times, and France’s Le Monde, may now be read online.

This advancement has also provided Nigerian readers (audience) with a means of responding to newspaper publications, as several newspapers online have built a feedback medium on the internet for readers to share their views or comments (Cooper, 2009). Despite the aforementioned achievements of the Nigerian newspaper industry made possible by the internet, many Nigerians still dislike reading newspapers online due to their distorted perception of the internet as a place where any faceless individual can post whatever he wants for public consumption. According to this school of thought, the only true news source is the hard copy of a newspaper. There is also the feeling, idea, or belief that reading Nigerian newspapers online is having a significant impact on hard copy sales of these newspapers, as many Nigerians with internet access prefer to read them online rather than buying copies as they used to. There is also the issue of Nigerian newspapers failing to keep up with other online publications in terms of news updates. The aforementioned are the reasons why this study on Nigerian audiences’ perceptions of Nigerian newspapers distributed on the internet has become important or necessary.

1.3 The Study’s Objectives

In general, the study seeks to:

1. Determining whether Nigerian publications online are of the same quality as their Western counterparts.

2. Determining the extent to which Nigerians are exposed to online newspaper publications.

3. Determining whether the online release of Nigerian newspapers has an effect on hardcopy sales.

4. Investigating the usefulness of the internet as a feedback medium for stories published in Nigerian newspapers on the internet.

1.4 Importance of the Research

Because of the internet’s numerous obvious potentials, the researcher is aware of the internet’s relevance in our modern society, particularly in the media environment versus the newspaper. Thus, the researcher embarked on this study because the findings will add cognitive value and broaden the knowledge of readers, media practitioners (particularly newspaper organizations), Mass Communication students, and anyone else interested in learning about Nigerians’ perceptions of newspapers published in Nigeria on the internet.

Above all, this work will be useful to newspaper readers and other scholars who wish to conduct additional research in this area.

1.5 Research Issues

This study will be guided by the research questions listed below.

1. Are Nigerian online newspapers of the same caliber as their Western counterparts?

2. The extent to which Nigerians are exposed to online newspaper publications.

3. Does the online publication of Nigerian newspapers have any effect on the real sales of hardcopies?

4. What is the usefulness of the internet as a feedback mechanism for stories published in Nigerian newspapers on the internet?

1.6 The Study’s Scope

The study’s scope will determine whether Nigerian publications online are of the same quality as their Western counterparts. The survey will also determine how much exposure Nigerians have to online newspaper publications. The study will also look into whether the online publication of Nigerian newspapers has an effect on hardcopy sales. Finally, the research will determine the usefulness of the internet as a feedback medium for stories published in Nigerian newspapers on the internet. As a result, this study would be restricted to residents of Owerri, Imo State.

1.7 Study Restrictions

The study’s goal is to look into how Nigerian newspaper consumers perceive Nigerian newspapers on the internet.

As a result of the abstract nature of the perception issue, respondents may be reluctant to provide accurate information in a perception study.

However, time will be another restriction of this study, especially when evaluated against the backdrop of man’s dynamism, which makes doing behavioral research challenging.

Given the country’s current economic predicament, adequate money may not be readily available to complete this research.

1.8 Term Definitions Audience:

A collection of people who all watch, read, or listen to the same thing.

Perception:

Is intended to be a process in which we become aware of changes in our surroundings through our senses. Perception of a thing or an issue leads to the creation of an opinion or a change in opinion about that object or issue.

Internet:

This is a global network of computer networks, a network of networks, that share digital information through a common set of networking and software protocols.

Preference:

It is a power and a right to express one’s preference or to select from a variety of new media advertising channels depending on one’s needs and interests.

Newspaper:

According to McQuail (2005:562), this refers to print media that appears on a regular basis (typically no less than once a week), contains (at least) accurate coverage of recent or ongoing events of popular interest, and is available for public purchase.