Browsing by Author "Whittles, Chantelle Dionita"

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    Mobile journalism and broadcast news practices: e.tv News & Sport in South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Whittles, Chantelle Dionita; Botma, Gawie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.
    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.