WHAT EFFECT? AN APPRAISAL OF JOURNALISTS’ USE AND PERCEPTION OF NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN NIGERIA MEDIA PRACTICE

The new media technologies unarguably, have influenced how news is gathered and reported in Nigeria and many other countries. Before the advent of the new media, a reporter was given a lead or went out to find a story. As these changes occur, they continue to generate debates on the extent of effects on journalism practice. Given the complex interacting factors that seem generally associated with adoption of technology by developing societies, and the potential for individual adoption based on perceived benefits, we examine the possible influence of new media in Nigeria journalism practice within the framework of uses and gratifications and diffusion of innovations theories. The study adopted the survey design. Census was used for all the registered journalists in the chapels of the selected states studied based on their manageable size except in Abuja and Lagos that have larger population. Findings from the data show that the new media have affected Nigerian journalism and will continue to affect it in the future as they have given journalists new ways to report and disseminate information. In essence, while many aspects of journalism have been touched yet, the dominant format of storytelling still subsists. The paper therefore, points to the need for constant capacity building for journalists to develop online research skills and use of new media in news reporting to better maximize the advantages of the new media platform and the proper integration of the new and old in news reporting across the country.