Abstract:
The study evaluated journalists’ perception of opportunities for integration of various new media
platforms for professional use. Print media journalists in Kenya and the world over have
adopted new media technologies for professional journalism. However, a review of relevant
literature shows that little research has emerged on the current integration practices targeting
the three media houses combined. The study was guided by Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of
Innovations theory. The qualitative multiple case study design was adopted. A sample size of 15
journalists drawn from both the print and online teams was selected purposively from three
mainstream newspapers in Kenya. Data was generated using in-depth interviews, analysed
thematically and presented in a narrative form. The study revealed that new media platforms
have emerged as powerful tools of journalism across the mainstream print media in Kenya.
Some of the opportunities cited in the use of new media are expanded tools for news gathering
and new channels for dissemination of information to audiences. And of the various social media
platforms, Twitter and Facebook and Whatsapp were the most widely used by journalists in
Kenya for finding sources, story ideas and distribution of their journalism, among other uses.
Legacy journalists were, however, slow in embracing new media while correspondents and those
with personal drive saw new media platforms as an opportunity to improve their journalism. The
study recommends research on the kinds of trainings offered to journalists to become fully multi-
skilled. A further study on the problems facing journalists as they interact with the newest
technologies would also be relevant.
