The Development of Online Journalism: A Primer For Nigerian Journalists

Abstract

Journalists all over the world are obligated to provide a mental picture of happenings in the world for the masses. One of the efficient ways of doing this is through the use of the Internet for journalism practice which is generally referred to as online journalism. Online journalism, though, a relatively new phenomenon in the development of journalism in developing countries like Nigeria, has transformed journalism practice more than ever imagined. However, as observed, Nigerian journalists are constrained by factors such as power failure, system failure, lack of expertise and government negligence among others which inhibit them from completely deriving the benefits of online journalism. It is against this backdrop that this paper whose theoretical perspectives are anchored on the diffusion of innovation theory, discussed the development of online journalism by examining the operations and organization as well as the merits and demerits of online journalism for the benefits of journalism practice in Nigeria. The solution to effective online journalism practice in Nigeria lies greatly with the Nigerian government and partly with the Nigerian journalists. Therefore, the Nigerian government and private media owners have to play the role of a development communicator so as to ensure that Nigerian journalists catch up with the rest of the world in the production and dissemination of news online, while the Nigerian journalists must complement their efforts in this regard.

Keywords: Computer–assisted–reporting, internet, Journalism, Journalist, new information and communication technologies (NICTs), news, Nigeria, online.