Newspapers navigation of the dynamics posed by media convergence: a study of mainstream print media in Kenya.

Abstract

The media landscape has changed the world over in the past two decades as a result of the development of the Internet and new media technologies. The print media in Kenya followed the trend taken by others in the developed world to adopt new media technologies in what is called media convergence. A review of relevant literature; however, shows that minimal research has emerged on the subject of media convergence in Kenya and Africa. Hence, the overall objective of this study was to investigate print media in Kenya – the Daily Nation, The Standard and The Star – responses to the disruptions occasioned by media convergence. The study sought to find out the media managers and journalists’ perceptions of the impact of convergence in news gathering, production and distribution. The study site was Nairobi where the headquarters of the three media houses are situated. The specific research questions were: What are the print media managers’ constructions of the dynamics posed by convergence of old and new media technologies? How do print media policies and practices adjust to the dynamics posed by convergence of old and new media technologies? What are the perceptions of journalists on the opportunities for convergence of old and new media platforms for professional use? This study hinged on the Theory of Media Convergence, the Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Convergence Continuum Model as the theoretical frameworks that guided the discussion of the findings. The relativist-interpretivist research paradigm and the qualitative multiple case study design were adopted for this study. Data were generated using in-depth interviews, observation and document analysis. A sample size of 21 respondents from a population of 200 journalists who included managers, editors and reporters was selected purposively from the three newspapers and drawn from both the print and online teams. Data were analysed thematically and presented in a narrative form. Ethical considerations of confidentiality and privacy of participants were adhered to. Findings were as follows: Print media managers perceived continuous innovations in adoption of new technologies and content creation as a necessity. However, due to the nature of new technologies to change very fast, coupled with their prohibitive cost, print media was finding it difficult to fully implement convergence. Print media policies and practices have variously adjusted to the dynamics posed by convergence of old and new media technologies. Some practices of doing journalism in the digital era have been implemented, while others have not; tools for verification of news have been partially adopted for use by journalists yet fake news is a big threat. Journalists perceive new media platforms as powerful tools of trade with Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp as the most preferred. However, journalists were not adequately equipped with the necessary skills to handle new technologies. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the pace of adoption and use of innovations was slow and inconsistent to make it possible for print media in Kenya to fully reap the benefits of convergence journalism. Arising from the study, it is recommended that print media houses ought to put in place mechanisms that will speed up use of new media technologies in newsrooms. There is a need to equip journalists with relevant technological equipment and skills to function effectively in modern newsrooms.