Brave New Worlds; Navigating the new media landscape.

By DolezalPresented By Ross Alford

Media Faces Different difficulties in less Mature Markets

Developing countries face unique challenges during rapid change.

Challenges involve the country’s infrastructure, economy and capabilities.

Two types difficulties: Environmental and internal

ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFICULTIESExternal censorship and

internal precaution: powerful individuals exerting pressure on media

Language Barriers: Illiteracy, polygamous languages. Simply too many to cater to.

ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFICULTIES:

Legal Limbo: Lack of regulatory environment causing insecure investments by investors abroad and within the country

Limited Mobile Usage: Rural places in Africa still struggling with mobile connectivity.

INTERNAL FACTORS:Owners with their own agendas:

Managers use the media as leverages of power. Losing audiences = collateral damage, nothing more.

Lack of Experienced Professionals: Difficult to attract and retain due to high incomes abroad.

Lack of Talent: Expatriates take over jobs of the locally skilled.

INTERNAL DIFFICULTIESMimetic operations of

established world players: ‘Ferrari’s steering wheel in an oxen cart effect.

Expensive and inflexible technical solutions: Bringing in software based on western environments will need skills and workshops from Western societies.

Limited Reach: Difficult to reach rural zones.

INTERNAL DIFFICULTIESChicken and egg

problem: Limited geographical reach = no advertising or funds. No advertising funds = no funding to reach other geographical areas.

Poor Quality Journalism: Newspapers cost cheap, yet expensive to create.

Overlooking growth possibilities.

TELLING AFRICAN STORIES THE AFRICAN WAY By Amin

Foreign journalists fail to portray Africa in the right light.‘Parachute Journalism’“30 second sound bite’, inefficient to bring across the stories.

TELLING AFRICAN STORIES THE AFRICAN WAY

Africa 24: A platform for all African Journalists

Creates better revenue for Journalists

Sense of ownership

Increases their visibility

Stories left untold by gaps in wealth and Bandwidth

Haffajee: One in ten Africans have access to Internet

Therefore is online media affecting rural Africans?

Wealth Affects types of stories told: Glamour and lifestyle counts more than Democratic values and health

Old school storytelling Using new school tools

We can learn from convergence of overseas:

Buttry explains how “To Be Determined” TBD, a multi platformed digital news service has become successful.

Firstly. Journalists flee to scene to ask same ‘old school questions’

Use ‘new school tools’ – upload Tv (TBD TV and ABC7) Radio and their website.

Old School storytelling Using new school tools

Key traits:Web operation is strong, not independent:Do not rely on website alone. Or TV alone.

Link other content:Take content from other sites. Therefore all of

the days news on one site.

Focus on Mobile:Create applications and headlines for mobile

users

Old School storytelling Using new school tools

Customise ContentIndividual content sent to users on what they

like.

Engaging with community:Have various links linked to bloggers in the

community. Open up chat forums.

Ten Waypoints tagged to the Future of News

Mitchell mentions ten areas in which news organisations need to focus on to efficiently operate in the future:

1: Processed: Important in what journalists do with the abundant news.

2: Partnered: Must realise that alliances with other news agencies can increase news.

3: Linked: What would it take to become leading network in your community?

4: Engaged: Create a link between news and action.5: Innovated: In order to survive you need to have

new trends/features

Ten Waypoints Tagged to the Future of News

6: Independent: Maintain primary allegiance to the audience and no one else

7: Trusted: Users lace highest trust in content that is recommended by their friends. How do you gain trust from the friend?

8: Investigated: Investigative reporting is journalisms most refined skill, must always be implemented.

9: Trained: Staff members and journalists need to be trained to accurately reflect what is going on around them.

10: Sustained: All the above needs be attributed in order to create media organisations that will stand for the greater good for a democracy and for their economy.

REFERENCES:Dolezal

, L. (ed.) 2010. Brave News Worlds: Navigating the New Media Landscape. IPI/Poynter Institute: Vienna.