ONLINE JOURNALISM IN NIGERIA WITH THAT ABROAD

pix from google





pix from google


The migration of readers, viewers and advertisers from newspaper and broadcast TV to the web is not limited to the developed world but has also become a visible trend in developing countries such as Nigeria.

Newspapers have for the past decade decried the decline in circulation as web visits continue to increase, making the future of newspaper journalism an uncertainty.However, much as this poses a dilemma, it has jolted journalists and media organizations into the realization that being technologically savvy is the only sure means of remaining relevant in an increasingly changing and competitive journalism practice, and a good number of them are stepping up to the plate.Online journalism in Nigeria is rapidly growing. This is evident in the large number of registered daily newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations which maintain online presence. These diverse media ensure that audiences receive national and international news through a potpourri of services offered on their websites.

Major newspapers in Nigeria include The Punch, the Sun, This Day, Vanguard, The Guardian, Daily Independent, The Nation, Sahara Reporters, Daily Trust, Compass, This Day and many more.Though the Punch, one of Nigeria’s most read newspapers, does not produce original videos, it offers a link to videos on YouTube, provides a platform for blogging where visitors can post their comments, and maintains presence on Facebook and Twitter for increased social interactivity. Other features on its website include Photo Gallery, Polls, Weather Forecasts etc Nigeria has 294 radio and TV stations most of which also transmit on the internet. For example, Wazobia FM, and Cool FM, which are both independent radio stations, have their audio programs streamed live. Their audiences can click, download and listen to these programs http://wazobiafm.com/. In addition, Cool FM produces original videos, has a Photo Gallery titled “Cool photos”, online games titled “Cool Games”, and maintains presence on Facebook and Twitter. Other features on its website include an opinion poll site titled “Football Polls” and a “Weather Forecast” site http://www.coolfm.us/.

TV stations in Nigeria are not left out as a large number of them maintain presence on the web, where they transmit live programs. Channels Television, a predominantly news TV station, in addition to its live transmission, produces original news videos, as well as offering links to YouTube videos. It also maintains presence on Facebook and Twitter, gives “Breaking News” through email alerts to subscribers, conducts “Opinion Polls” and gives Weather Reports. http://www.channelstv.com/global .However, a large number of these media organizations are still underdeveloped, lacking the many features of ideal online media. The Sun for example has only a Discussion Forum titled ‘Free kick”, Chat Room titled “Sun Chat Room” and a site for conducting online polls http://sunnewsonline.com/. Similarly, the Guardian, one of Nigeria’s most widely circulated daily newspapers has only a Photo Gallery, while the Nation, another leading national daily newspaper only has links to the social network sites of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Live Bookmarks, through which subscribers receive updates when content changes. Nigerians are active in Internet technology. The Internet country code for Nigeria is.ng. Eleven Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate in the nation. An estimated 100,000 Nigerians are Internet users. Numerous media outlets are available on the Internet. These include specialty media, designed for target audiences to general interest publications.

All Nigeria.com is an Internet source for a broader audience. It contains daily news updates, viewpoints, feature articles and essays on Nigeria, Africa and the world at large from a Nigerian perspective. Nigeria Infonet is a site on the Internet that provides a listing of numerous news and media sources available to anyone interested in either niche or general interest publications. An example of international media outlets providing news analysis on Nigeria's political situation can be found on the websites of both American and British media outlets. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Cable News Network (CNN) both maintain special websites on events and personalities related to the 1999 election. Nigeriaworld is an example of a state of the art newspaper online. Its URL is www.nigeriaworld.com . The Daily Times is another Nigerian newspaper found online. It serves as a contrast to Nigeriaworld in that it lacks both the content and distribution advantages of its competitor. It is not updated on a consistent basis and it does not have the stable of writers found in the pages of Nigeriaworld. Nigeria Daily is between the other two newspapers in terms of quality. It updates its web page on a consistent basis, yet it does not have the resources Nigeriaworld has to provide content from such a wide number of credentialed sources.

The international nature of news flow on the Internet makes it more difficult for the government to control content distributed through this means. Some of the Nigerian newspapers that have daily updated Internet sites have columnists and editorial writers based in the United States and Europe. Many of these people have been educated in American and British institutions of higher learning. A significant number have graduate degrees.