Mobile journalism and broadcast news practices: e.tv News & Sport in South Africa

Date
2021-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates how e.tv News & Sport is using mobile phones to gather news, the implications of using a mobile phone to film news stories, instead of a traditional television camera and crew, how mobile journalism is affecting the structure of the newsroom, and the ethical guidelines mobile journalists adhere to. Mobile journalism is a practical way of gathering news using only a mobile phone for storytelling. This new form of storytelling started in 2007 and as mobile technology evolved, media organisations started to become more aware of the impact and capabilities of mobile devices. The advantages of mobile journalism include that it is affordable and portable. However, this newfound way of storytelling has mostly been implemented by international broadcasting organisations. In South Africa, mobile journalism is not yet that widely used in the media landscape, especially within the broadcasting industry. Although some media organisations in South Africa have started to experiment with this form of storytelling, it is still mostly practiced through citizen journalism. The social responsibility theory, which is one of the four traditional theories of the press, and the information society theory were used in order to investigate the role of journalists and the social responsibility of these mobile journalists in the media and towards society. The impact technological innovations had on the journalism profession, with specific reference to the broadcast industry, was investigated. The information society theory was also used to establish how the mobile journalists employed at the television news channel, e.tv News & Sport, are using their mobile devices to gather news. A qualitative case study research design was chosen for this study and data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observation. This study found that e.tv News & Sport has successfully implemented mobile journalism at the television news channel, by integrating mobile journalism into the existing newsroom workflow. e.tv News & Sport employs seven mobile journalists, who previously had no television or mobile journalism experience, in different provinces across South Africa. These mobile journalists use their mobile phones to shoot, film and edit their news stories. e.tv News & Sport is currently the only national television news channel in South Africa who predominantly rely on mobile journalists, instead of a traditional television news crew, to shoot and film news stories. Despite some of the mobile journalists feeling they did not receive adequate training at the time when the television channel launched in 2018, and the work phones they received were of a basic range, they still persevered.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe die nuuskanaal e.tv News & Sport van selfone gebruik maak om nuus in te samel, hoe mobiele joernalistiek die struktuur van die nuuskantoor affekteer, die implikasies om van ʼn selfoon gebruik te maak om nuus in te samel, in pleks van ʼn tradisionele televisiekamera, asook die etiese riglyne waaraan mobiele joernaliste moet voldoen. Mobiele joernalistiek is ʼn praktiese manier om nuus te vervaardig deur net ʼn selfoon te gebruik om stories te vertel. Hierdie nuwe manier van nuus insamel het in 2007 begin, en soos mobiele tegnologie gevorder het, het media-organisasies gesien hoe selfone gebruik kan word om nuus in te samel, en op televisie uitgesaai word. Kykers en nuusverbruikers, asook redakteurs kon sien watter impak en vermoë selfone het. Hoewel mobiele joernalistiek baie voordele het, soos dat dit bekostigbaar en draagbaar is, is dit sover meestal nog net internasionale televisiekanale wat dit by hul nuusroetines geïmplementeer het. Mobiele joernalistiek is nog nie so algemeen in Suid-Afrika nie, veral nie by televisiekanale nie. Alhoewel sommige media organisasies in Suid-Afrika wel begin het om met mobiele joernalistiek te eksperimenteer, word dit nog grootendeels deur burgerlike joernalistiek beoefen. Die sosiale verantwoordelikheidsteorie, tesame met die inligtingsamelewing-teorie is as die teoretiese raamwerk gebruik, om sodoende die rol van mobiele joernaliste in die media te ondersoek, asook die sosiale verantwoordelikheid van die mobiele joernaliste teenoor die samelewing. Die inligtingsamelewing-teorie is ook aangewend om vas te stel wat die impak van tegnologiese innovasies op die joernalistiek-industrie was, met spesifieke verwysing na die uitsaaiwese. Die inligtinsamelewing teorie was ook aangewend om vas te stel hoe die mobiele joernaliste wat by die nuuskanaal werk, hul selfone gebruik om nuus in te samel. ʼn Kwalitatiewe gevallestudie is gebruik vir hierdie studie, en inligting is ingesamel deur semi-gestruktueerde onderhoude en etnografiese waarneming. Die studie het bevind dat e.tv News & Sport mobiele joernalistiek suksesvol by die televisiekanaal geïmplementeer het deur dit by die bestaande nuusroetine te integreer. e.tv News & Sport maak gebruik van sewe mobiele joernaliste, wat voorheen geen televisie- of mobiele joernalistieke ervaring gehad het nie. Hierdie mobiele joernaliste is gebasseer in verskillende provinsies regoor Suid-Afrika. Hulle maak gebruik van hul selfone om nuus te verfilm. e.tv 5Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za News & Sport is tans die enigste nasionale televisiekanaal in Suid-Afrika wat grootendeels van mobiele joernaliste gebruik maak om nuus in te samel, in pleks van ʼn televisie-kameraspan. Ten spyte daarvan dat sommige van die mobiele joernaliste voel dat hulle nie voldoende opleiding ontvang het voordat die televisiekanaal in 2018 bekendgestel is nie, asook die feit dat hulle basiese selfone by die maatskappy ontvang het, het hulle steeds volhard.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
Keywords
Online journalism, Mobile communication systems, Journalism -- Technological innovations, Television broadcasting of news -- South Africa, Television broadcasting of sports --South Africa, Public service television programs, ETV (Educational television) -- South Africa, UCTD
Citation