Survival
Strategies Newsroom & Ideas for
Edited By Kwami Ahiabenu II
ISBN: 978 - 9988 - 2 - 2206 - 2
Creative Commons 4.0 International Licence November, 2015 Published by Penplusbytes Accra Ghana www.penplusbytes.org
Contributors: Nnenna Nwakanma, Ethan Zuckerman, Dan Gillmor, Kwami Ahiabenu II, Yaw Frempong Ampomah and Eunice Ofori Onwona Editor: Kwami Ahiabenu II
Design and Production team: Clone Inventive, Yaw Frempong Ampomah and Gina A. Amedeka Digital copies available online www.penplusbytes.org/futureofnews
www.penplusbytes.org
Page
2
FOREWARD This book is intended as a bird eye view of trends, new development and insights shaping the future of news. It offers a quick yet critical insight to guide how mastery of managing newsroom. Future of news – Survival strategies and ideas for newsroom book is coming at important time for a lot of media houses and journalists since they are thinking about future of news and their role in this fast changing landscape. Also newsrooms are now on the look out for strategies and ideas for them to ride the tide of disruptive news business where audiences have insatiable appetite for news on their own preferences. The democratization of news and the new business models are creating headaches for all owners and practitioners of “heritage” media. The traditional news cycle as we know it is being replaced by “always on” news cycle which does not go to bed. The denition of who is journalist and news source is being blurred and the barriers to entry have virtually been completely eroded. Although the book does not provide all the answers, it provides very useful information not only theoretical but real newsroom experiences, which have practical applications. It also points the reader to the questions that has to be asked. Presented in a format which makes it as an easy read, Future of news – Survival strategies and ideas for newsroom book covers interesting topics such as the Wearable News and Augmented Reality Journalism; Death of Newspaper - Myth or Reality; Beyond news application, what products can newsroom offer; Digital Media and Ghana's place on the global stage; ve trends shaping the future of news; Why journalists should (at least) sometimes be activists; A shifting media character; Ghana's future of news: how do we connect with the 7 billion. The book ends with Future of news event highlights, which took place in Accra on 28th August 2015. I am quite impressed about the array of authors for this book, which are made up of persons with deep theoretical and practical experiences from newsroom not only in Ghana but from the rest of the globe. Future of news book is a must read for any journalist, media managers, owners, board members and also consumers of news since it will provide them with important sign posts as they navigate an uncharted terrain where change is constant and successful decision making is guided by those who understand new developments in the news ecosystem. The future of news is a very interesting and informative book and I encourage you to read it today Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey Managing Director, Graphic Communications Group Ltd Page
3
CONTRIBUTORS Ethan Zuckerman is a world acclaimed media scholar, blogger, and internet activist. He is the Director of the Massachuse s Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Civic Media, co-founder Global Voices and the author of "Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection," which won the Zócalo Book Prize.
Dan Gillmor is an internationally recognized author in New Media and citizen based journalism. His book "We the media: the rise of citizen journalists" according to the Financial Times has become something of a bible for those who believe the online medium will change journalism for the be er'
Kwami Ahiabenu is an experienced Management, Marketing, New Media, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and Development expert. He has undertaken several training sessions on new media across Africa. He is a Steve Biko, Foster Davies and a Reagan Fascell Fellow.
Yaw Frempong Ampomah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography & Resource Development with Psychology from the University of Ghana. He's a Project Associate at Penplusbytes, leading Research and Publication efforts, assisting in managing and administering Project Implementation.
Eunice Ofori Onwona Researches, designs, develops, publishes and supports high quality digital media and broadcast radio programming efforts for Voice of America media entities (Africa Rizing) and language service divisions, in Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. She is currently a digital media specialist and journalist with the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Page
4
ABOUT PENPLUSBYTES Established on the 18th of July 2001 as a non-profit organisation, Penplusbytes is commi ed to enhancing governance by deepening citizen's participation through ICTs. Penplusbytes' overarching philosophy is that of establishing effective working relationships with governments, parliaments, corporate organisations, donors, international organisations, non-profits organisations and citizens is the key to being relevant and delivering value. The organisation currently organises its work around three thematic areas namely; Extractives (Mining, Oil and Gas) New Media and Innovations The use of New Digital Technologies to drive Good Governance and Transparency. Vision: 'To be the leading institution for promoting effective governance using technology in Africa.' Mission: Promoting effective governance by deploying technology that enhances participation. Values: Penplusbytes values and guiding principles include: PROFESSIONALISM INGENUITY VALUING PEOPLE HIGH STANDARDS TRANSPARENCY
Page
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreward Contributors About Penplusbytes Table of content Chapter 1: Wearable News and Augmented Reality Journalism ............................................7 Chapter 2: Death of Newspaper- Myth or Reality ...................................................................12 Chapter 3: Beyond News application, what products can newsrooms offer ......................17 Chapter 4:Digital Media and Ghana's place on the Global Stage ..........................................23 Chapter 5: Five Trends shaping the Future of News ...............................................................28 Chapter 6: Why journalists should (at least sometimes) be activists ....................................36 Chapter 7: A shifting media character .......................................................................................41 Chapter 8: Ghana’s Future of News: How do we connect with the 7 billion ......................46 Chapter 9: Future of News: Event Hightlight ..........................................................................50
Page
6
1
CHAPTER
Wearable News and Augmented Reality Journalism
By Kwami Ahiabenu, II Page
7
News business started in Ghana, then Gold Coast, when The Gold Coast Gaze e and Commercial Intelligencer, was born in 1822-25 by Sir Charles MacCarthy, governor of the British Gold Coast settlements. Along came broadcasting on 31st July 1935 when Gold Coast Broadcasting System was commissioned. Over time media in Ghana has bloomed with a plethora of news outlets, booming social media and mobile channels providing countless news opportunities to growing audience base. According to National Communications Authority (NCA) Ghana, as at 2015 there are 58 registered television stations in Ghana, 390 radio stations are registered and a projected 40 newspapers. The rapid growth and falling costs of new digital technologies and tools has opened the door for new opportunities in news delivery in particular and journalism as a whole. Formerly, internet access was glued to computers but in present times, we are going through a phase of "internet of things" where multiple devices from tablets to refrigerators are connected to the
Internet. This has had a profound implication not only for the way news is pro duced by also consumed as well. In order to stimulate debate and map the trajectory of the news of future, Penplusbytes in association with Multimedia Group and Graphic corporation is holding, for the ďŹ rst time in Ghana, a landmark event on the "future of news" in August 2015. Ahead of this event we present a series of blog posts discussing key issues related to the future of news. In this ďŹ rst in the series, we take a look at Wearable News and Augmented Reality Journalism. Wearable news refers to the delivering of news using wearable devices such clothing and accessories which contains computing and advanced electronic technologies including wearable cameras, watches and glasses to name a few. Simply put; instead of sitting at home and watch television, you can now have same content delivered to you via glasses on the go. According to Gartner Inc. (h p://www.gartner.com) "By 2017, mobile Page
8
apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times, generating revenue of more than $77 billion and making apps one of the most popular computing tools for users across the globe. As a result, they predict that mobile users will provide personalized data streams to more than 100 apps and services every day". Also, it pointed out that, "Wearable devices will use mobile apps as their conduit for data exchange and user interface because many of them will have few or no user interface capabilities. Offloading that responsibility to the mobile device means the wearable devices will depend on apps for all types of user input or output, configuration, content creation and consumption, and in some cases, basic connectivity" Furthermore Gartner predicts that by 2018, "more than 25 million head-mounted displays (HMDs) will have been sold as immersive devices and virtual worlds will have transitioned from the fringe to the mainstream". This mind blowing statistics presents a fertile ground for newsrooms to create content which can be consumed on the go by users of wearable technologies.
Producing content for wearable technologies is not business as usual. Journalists must develop new story telling skills which allows them to produce and deliver content to users who are on the move thereby making location very critical in terms what news they consume. A news consumer stuck in a long traffic due to a collapsed bridge on his or her route will be interested to find out news about state of repair etc. of this bridge and news about global food prices may not be top of his agenda. A related technology is Augmented Reality (AR) which provides us with live news indirect or direct of our physical world environment whose elements are supplemented (augmented) by using new digital technologies and generated sensory input such Geographical Position System (GPS) data, video, graphics or sound. Using a combination of hardware such as processor, display, sensors, input devices, and display units such as head mounted display (HMD), Eyeglasses, Head-up display (HUD) among others. AR is supported by software and algorithms which derive its source from real world Page
9
images from camera, processed it and For newsrooms, this is more than magic, deliver it to user. A related concept to AR ability to mash up news with more is mediated reality, which using new relevant information which information digital technologies, a view of reality is hungry audiences are looking for can modiďŹ ed by either amplifying or ensure they stand relevant and inuential diminishing it. In this direction, in terms of delivering what content mediated reality technologies their targets need in a more function by enhancing interactive manner. one's current It is important to Journalists perception of reality point out that, where virtual wearable news must develop new reality replaces and augmented story telling skills which the real world reality allows them to produce and with a simulated journalism is one. For now taking deliver content to users who example, using baby steps in are on the move thereby AR technology some when one is newsrooms making location very watching football around the critical in terms what on TV during a live world, so it does news they consume. match, one can be fed not come as a with information about surprise that the match and more newsrooms in Ghana importantly the user can are yet to experiment with some of these futuristic news interact and digital change information production and delivery formats. A as w ell since artiďŹ cial information about number of reasons account for this the match is overlaid by the ongoing situation, there is a dearth of skills when it match. comes to the deploying of such technologies Page 10
let alone the skills set needed to tell compelling stories in this emerging formats. Also, some of these tools are very expensive and beyond the reach of not only the journalists but also the consumers who will need these tools in order to consume news in this format. Ghana as a whole is falling behind, not only in the creation of the software but
also the hardware needed to drive the growth and development of this type of innovative story telling format. Furthermore, revenue models needed to sustain the uptake of these innovations are still work in progress making it somewhat difficult for newsroom editors and owners to justify taking a leap of faith in undertaking this type of projects.
newsroom in Ghana are very rudimentary, therefore it will be prudent to solve them first before venturing into this fairly complex means of news production and distribution. But one can counter argue that we could as well leapfrog and make use of some of these technologies to solve these challenges while “Some have even argued that challenges of
growing the media sector and even become leaders in this area.” Page 11
2
CHAPTER
Death of
Newspaper Myth or Reality
By Kwami Ahiabenu, II Page 12
“
Across the globe, owners, managers and editors are kept awake over the uncertain future of their industry. Some analysts paint a gloomy picture of the newspaper industry, saying it will end up in the grave yard; pushed to an early death by a number of factors which includes access to "free news" online and inherently very reduced hardcopy sales
“
Newspapers were born in 59 B.C. when Acta Diurna was published in Rome. Since then, there is ample evidence about the significant role they play in our societies generally and as a pillar of democracy in particular. In recent times, there is a major revolution in the media landscape fueled largely by the widespread and ubiquitous availability of
new digital technologies. Currently over 50% of the world's total population are unique mobile phone users sending over 8.7 trillion SMS messages annually with other applications such as WhatsApp, which is very popular in Ghana, recording over 50 billion messages daily culminating in an annual total of 18.3 trillion messages exchanged. A figure that far surpasses traditional SMS. All these new developments have no doubt shaken the very foundation of newspapers, leading to a moot question: are newspapers going to die? In many parts of the world newspapers sales are really starting to record a decline due to a number of reasons; the rise of the electronic media, declining revenue due to loss of advertising, stiff competition from online outlets, increasing costs of production especially cost of newsprint, high costs of distribution, rapid fall in circulation, advent of new digital technologies which are making newspapers obsolete in their present format.
Page 13
In Ghana though newspapers are not declining, they are not experiencing any major growth or expansion. There is no empirical data to support this assertion, however anecdotal evidence point to the act that over time newspapers in Ghana have not grown in terms of new entrants to the market nor have existing ones undertaken any major expansion. Simply put no body is rushing to set up a newspaper in Ghana these days, the movement is towards establishment of radio or TV stations. In a recent count, there are a li le over 40 active newspapers in Ghana today. Most of them weekly, with specialized ones focusing on issues such as business, sports and lifestyle etc. There is no mainstream Sunday newspaper though a number of papers come out on Saturdays. Over all readership rates and subscriptions are drastically plummeting in Ghana not only due to the fact that audiences can get news for free from online sources but also because content from newspapers are distributed by radio and TV as well.
ARE NEWSPAPERS FOREVER? One important factor ensuring that newspaper stand the test of time is that they have signiďŹ cant brand value, which means that when they move their products online, they record signiďŹ cant online followings. One will argue that in Ghana, lack of reliable internet access coupled with an entrenched culture of doing things nonelectronically means, newspapers are still a preferred news source. An interesting challenge for the health of newspapers, does not only come from new digital technologies but from the plain old radio. The rapid development of radio stations cannot be discounted in the discourse about the survival of newspapers since they are eroding its inuence. Newspapers beyond their news value, are also an important information source for happenings in the society including advertisement of goods and services which audiences consider valuable, therefore for some time to come in Ghana, newspapers are going to continue to be relevant. Furthermore, journalists and their newspapers carry some amount of weight in terms of credibility and authority, Page 14
therefore unless a tangible replacement is found, newspapers are not going to die overnight.
ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST NEWSPAPERS Revenue from newspapers both in terms of circulations and advertising are dropping. Largely being eaten into by new forms of online news distribution. Moreover, some advertisers do not see the value of pu ing ads in the newspapers since they have other channels of pushing out their brands. Future generation especially the youth simply do not see newspapers as news source, they will not buy a copy, let alone read one online since they consume news from social media outlets. According to Pew Research Centre (h p://www.journalism.org/2015/04/29/ newspapers-fact-sheet/) in USA, ad revenues continued to fall but gains in digital ad revenue are failing to make up for falls in print ad revenue. This is an important warning sign for newspapers they cannot expect to recoup shortfalls in
ad revenue by simply migrating online since there is no guarantee se ing up an online news channel will perform in terms of revenue inows. Formerly a typical news reader will have to wait for the newspaper to be delivered in order for them to access news, currently there are a thousand and one online news sources, simply put, you do not need a newspaper to read the news, you can consume news via tablets, phones, computers or some other devices. Journalists typically are not expected to be experts on subject ma er they write about but their key ability to serve as middlemen by speaking to experts and relaying it to their audiences, however, due to growth in online information, users can directly access such experts without journalists mediating. Therefore newspapers in their traditional role as key middleman is now being eroded rapidly. Nonetheless one can still argue that newspapers can transform to play a curation role where they connect consumers to as many direct news sources as possible directly playing minimum middleman. Page 15
STAYING ALIVE
and smooth implementation. Such strategy should focus on what needs to be changed, how the change process will be rolled out To survive, newspapers must undertake a and mitigation of change fallout News significant transformation by not only room culture, roles and responsibilities of publishing online but generating online each member, for example, journalists who news products which their audiences are were traditionally writing for newspaper, hungry for. Newspapers must stop now have to learn to become burying their heads in the sand, multimedia journalists since the dire question The rapid with different skills set. becomes 'when will Newspapers have to newspaper die' not ' if development of learn new story telling newspapers will die' radio stations cannot techniques which can looms. be discounted in the ensure the content they serve invariably However, there are discourse about the to their online some strategies that survival of newspapers audience reflect what newspapers can pursue their audiences want, since they are eroding in order to arrest this and in the manner they development while at the its influence. want to consume it. same time working to Monetisation of content become relevant, sustainable online and across new digital and profitable. A good start is to channels of distribution is critical, let go of age old tested newspaper this calls for deployment of new traditions which are still very critical to mechanisms of revenue generation by their operations and plot a new path of driving to market high value online change. This can be accomplished by content and apps centered on mobile pu ing in place wri en change strategies, phone users who are growing by the day. which must be discussed with newsroom members in order to ensure their buy-in Page 16
3
CHAPTER
Beyond News
Applications What Product Can Newsrooms Offer?
By Kwami Ahiabenu, II Page 17
All over the world, most newsrooms are now making use of new digital technologies in all facets of their work. The degree of application varies across board. However, without technology these days, news production and distribution is nearly impossible. According to wired, Robots will in the Fu-ture, not only write news but also produce and recommend news pieces directly; responding to preferences of individual users. Currently, Associated Press (AP) h p://automatedinsights.com/AP_Case_ Study/ using algorithms and natural language generation based technology, is able to produce a limited auto-generated articles and news stories in plain-language narrative from easily interpretable data. AP now produces nearly 4,300 quarterly earnings stories - a 14-fold increase over human generated efforts. The interesting fact about these stories is that you can't tell the difference between robot journalists output and what a human has wri en, except an explanatory note is added to the story that it was machine generated. AP's huge step in deploying this technology means they have a
tangible product which can provide them with a competitive edge in the future.
NEWS APPS AND PRODUCTS Beyond churning out of news, newsrooms can now produce content with value added, news applications and news products. In classification of apps, we can have 3 types; namely, native apps run-ning on desktops, online apps and mobile apps. Generally there are three types of mobile apps namely utility apps which provide relevant infor-mation such as stock market prices, traffic, sports results, weather etc.; productivity apps are usually more complex focusing on monitoring, updating and producing content, this include social media such Facebook, twi er, etc. and lastly immersive apps which focus solely on content such video games, super interactive apps like video-editing apps, etc. News app is, simply put, an application which enable users to consume, interact, contribute, inter-rogate and critique news content often on demand. Whereas news products is more tangible, long lasting Page 18
applications provide more lasting utility to the end users extending news cycle by giving news longer life. One exciting area when looking at new digital technologies in the newsroom is data journalism, since it enables newsrooms to produce value added content and support the development of news applications and products. Data journalism is a journalism specialty reflecting the increasingly im-portant role that numerical data is playing in story production and distribution in the digital age. It reflects the increased interaction between content producers (journalist) and several other fields such as design, mathematics, computer science and statistics. Data journalism can help journalists find truth from publicly available data for public interest, find and write stories from huge amount of data derived from multiple sources including governments, write most compelling stories more quickly and facilitate the telling of complex story through engaging visualisation.
WHERE CAN I GET THE CHEAPEST PETROL? Ghana recently liberalised its downstream petroleum industry which means that each oil marketing company is able to set its prices at the pump based on given parameters. News media carried this story, with some providing in-depth analysis, info on where to get the best deal. However, this news piece across radio, TV and newspapers will last not more than one week. For newsroom to be rele-vant, they need to develop products beyond this news piece. In this direction, they can develop a news application (apps) which can be downloaded by their audiences. This news app will solve this problem of where to get the cheapest petrol at the pump. For example, I am driving in Kumasi with a need to fill my tank. By using this product, I can find out which petrol stations is offering the cheapest fuel. More importantly, since my location service is on, the app will calculate and provide me with real time information; given traffic situation and how long it will take me to get to the station. Page 19
Based on this app, I am able to determine place in society is continuing to shrink. where to get cheapest petrol given a For example, Google is now World's number of options in real time. This largest aggregator and distributor of example bu resses the notion that news digital content; not only audio and video articles are great but in an information information but also news. Implications of rich society with a lot of audiences' these development is profound with one demand always on content, creating news stark warning that, if news organisations products with an extended do not innovate with new apps and products others innovators life span can contribute to will come in. Ghana's sustainability of leading telecom provider the newsroom. There are Beyond MTN, could become thousand and one churning out tomorrow's largest opportunities in this of news, newsrooms news organisation direction for newsrooms. can now produce content because they have the platform and MTN GHANA with value added, news especially when news COULD BE THE organisations are applications and NEXT BIGGEST si ing idle instead of news products. NEWS rising up to the occasion.
ORGANISATION
News media market place is shrinking. To survive, news organisation must invest in understanding emerging new digital technologies especially how to leverage its growing opportunities to sustain their audience base and grow new ones. Journalism ecosystem, inuence and its
HIGH QUALITY JOURNALISM DEMANDS INNOVATORS For a long time players in the Media sector have assumed a thin god status with the mindset of not caring about what their audiences want, eectively pushing audiences' needs to the back rooms. Page 20
Today, consumers are now in the driving seat, demanding more than news. Newsrooms that are to stay alive, inuential, proďŹ table and competitive are therefore the ones able to combine experimentation spiced with pragmatism in their quest to meet insatiable appetite of today's news consumer.
African Elections African Elections @Africanelection Aug28 We are not going to go out looking for news, news must come and met us @nnenna #futureofnewsgh @penplusbytes @EthanZ @dangillmor
All Over Ghana All over Ghana@threesixtygh Aug28 Open source is about the ability of people to build their own platforms online - EthanZ #FutureofNewsGh
Joy FM 99.7 Joy FM 99.7@Joy 997 FM Aug28 There are some bottlenecks that are being created by the recentralization of our information communications @dangillmor #FutureOfNewsGh
Malise Otoo Malise Otoo@Malise Otoo Aug28 We need to move from #literacy to digital literacy n from #digital literacy to digital #inclusion-@nnenna @penplusbytes #futureofnewsgh
Nnenna @nnenna
#ghana #media should think about investing in new tech if there are going to survive #futureofnews #futureofnewsgh #news #media
EthanZ @nnenna
We do not care if news organizations die but I can about the survival of news #futureofnews #futureofnewsgh #deathofnewspaper
Joy FM 99.7 Joy FM 99.7@Joy 997 FM Aug28 At the moment the cost of data is one of the key impediments - @GhRainmaker #FutureOfNewsGH #JoyNews
Joy FM 99.7 Joy FM 99.7@Joy 997 FM Aug28 "Countries that have taken a second look at the technology policies are the ones who are moving forward" - #FutureOfNewsGh
Page 21
All Over Ghana All over Ghana@threesixtygh Aug28 There are some bottlenecks that are being created by the recentralization of our information communications @dangillmor #FutureOfNewsGh
All Over Ghana All over Ghana@threesixtygh Aug28 "Ghana has the 2nd highest media freedom in Africa, 17 in the world"- Ethan Zuckerman #futureofnewsgh @penplusbytes @Joy997FM
Charles Anderson Charles Anderson@cdlanderson "Journalists of today need to be Swiss army knives, not meat cleavers." #futureofnewsgh
Jacqueline Parditey Jacqueline Parditey@parditey “@nnenna 'news should be cheap for the users and good information quality @penplusbytes #futureofnewsgh @dangillmor @EthanZ”
Enoch Darfa Frimpong Enoch Darfa Frimpong@enochfrimpong “How do we define who a journalist is? Ato Sarpong questions at #futureofnewsgh @penplusbytes @Graphicgh
Franka Darfour Franka Darfour@fkdarfour "How are we getting the news to that young mobile person who is not interested in radio/TV?"- Hon. Ato Sarpong #FutureofNewsgh
Simon Keen Simon Keen@SimonK05 Nov 24 “Citizen journalism is enhancing the reach of media further than ever.” #futureofnewsgh
Simon Keen Team BrandsAid GH@brandsaidgh “How'll the #New Consumption in the #Future be like? #FurtureofNews
Page 22
CHAPTER
4
Digital Media and
Ghana's Place on the Global Stage
By Ethan Zuckerman Page 23
22 YEARS AGO, GBC WAS THE KING OF NEWS IN GHANA When I came to Ghana for the first time in 1993, as a student at Legon, I knew virtually nothing about the country that would be my home for the next year. While I had studied with Ghanaian musicians in the United States, I knew almost nothing of Ghana's politics, history or daily life. My ignorance wasn't unusual for an American - we hear very li le about sub-Saharan Africa in the news, and when we do hear about Africa, we hear a relentless litany of bad news. Twenty-two years later, Ghana is a very different place. It's the region's poster child for democratic elections, an emerging economic powerhouse, but also a nation where une-qual development and divides between rich and poor are showing strains in the social fabric (not to mention strains on the electric grid). Some of the nation's most dramatic transformations are in the world of news and media. Walking in Osu, where I lived in 1994, every radio was tuned to GBC,
for the simple reason that there was nothing else to tune to! The explosion of radio journalism, talk radio, new glossy magazines and newspapers as well as digital services delivering news to our phones have led to a diverse and open media environment
ASSESSING MEDIA COVERAGE OF GHANA THROUGH MEDIA CLOUD Yet the rest of the world still doesn't hear much about Ghana. My research at the Massachuse s Institute of Technology focuses on global media coverage. Our system, called Media Cloud, collect stories from half a million publications from all over the world so we can understand what topics, what people and what nations are capturing the a ention of the press. I checked our database this year to find out how many times Ghana had been mentioned in the US's 25 largest media outlets, in comparison to two nations with similar population: Taiwan and Australia. Taiwan appeared almost three times as often as Ghana, while Australia was mentioned almost thirty times as often. Page 24
And when Americans read about Ghana, the semifinal victory. we mostly read about football. American media's interest in Ghana peaked during But this disparity in a ention is one the semifinal match in Malabo, when Ghanaians should take seriously, as it has Ghana's fans were a acked by their hosts implications for investment, for trade, and in Equatorial Guinea. The tragic explosion for tourism. Investors who can't find at the Circle GOIL station Ghana on a map are unlikely to received only a third as buy bonds or invest in We're used many stories as the startup companies. to using Facebook semifinal victory. Travelers who don't know about to stay in touch with Ghana's music, ASSESSING schoolmates, or using food, culture, MEDIA Twitter to share stories and color, castles and COVERAGE beaches won't tell jokes. But these tools OF GHANA schedule holidays THROUGH can be a powerful tool here. Ghana's MEDIA CLOUD comparative to challenge the way invisibility is an Ghana is understood American problem And when Americans by the rest of my countrymen are the read about Ghana, ones missing out, the globe they mostly read about choosing to live in a narrower football. American world - but it's a problem ordinary media's interest in Ghana peaked Ghanaians could help solve. The rise of during the semifinal match in Malabo, social media - Facebook, Twi er, Instagram, when Ghana's fans were a acked by their Tumblr and oth-er tools - mean that hosts in Equatorial Guinea. The tragic anyone who is online, or has a sufficiently explosion at the Circle GOIL station powerful phone, can be a publisher. received only a third as many stories as Page 25
We're used to using Facebook to stay in touch with schoolmates, or using Twit-ter to share stories and tell jokes. But these tools can also be a powerful way to challenge the way Ghana is understood by the rest of the globe.
FUTURE TRENDS IN CITIZENS' JOURNALISM: #233MOMENTS Take #233moments. At 2:33pm each afternoon, a handful of Ghanaians share a photo of what they're up to, a glimpse of daily life, marked with the "hashtag" #233moments so those in the know can ďŹ nd them. From church posters to the backs of trotros, from business conferences to roadside sellers, from beach resorts to lazy lunches (especially on "WaakyeWednesday", when it's customary to post from your favorite chop bar), #233moments celebrates what's colorful, wonderful and unique about this remarkable nation, and shares it with anyone willing to hear.
world is starting to. When President Obama visited Kenya, CNN reported on the dangers of the visit, characterizing Kenya as "terror hotbed". Kenyans took to Twi er to complain, using the hashtag #someonetellCNN: "#someonetellCNN the Hotbed of Terrorism is the fastest growing economy in the world"; " #SomeoneTellCNN that we now have @AlJazeera for reliable news. @CNNAfrica is so last century..." Challenging media coverage directly can work. The "Black Lives Ma er" movement in the US, a reaction to the alarming trend of unarmed black people killed by US police, has used social media to demand coverage of protests and to challenge how media has portrayed police killings. When Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, many newspapers and television stations portrayed him using a photo that made the 18 year old look taller and older than he actually was, instead of another readily available photo, where his age was more apparent.
But when people use social media to oer their own narratives and perspectives, does anyone listen? Slowly but surely, the Page 26
Black activists began posting pairs of photos to Facebook, asking "If they gunned me down, which photo would the media use", showing two photos of themselves taken from Facebook, one showing them in a positive light, another in a more negative light.
The campaign was successful - the troublesome photo of Brown disappeared from most newspapers, and the other photo was widely circulated.
The activists called a ention to the fact that the images we choose have political signiďŹ cance and weight - in choosing a photo where Brown looked threatening, the media was siding with the police.
Page 27
CHAPTER
5
Trends shaping
5thefuture of news
By Kwami Ahiabenu, II Page 28
“
In this chapter in the series of future of news blog, we explore " 5 key trends shaping the future of news" In the future, news producers and journalists will have to evolve significantly in order to stay influential, relevant and respected by news consumers. Here are five trends that newsrooms must watch out for as they embark on this exciting journey into the future
“
TREND 1: INTERNET OF THINGS AND NET NEUTRALITY In days gone by, internet access was only possible on computers. The new trend is the internet of things; people, objects and even animals are provided with unique identifiers which enable them to transfer data over a network directly without the need for human-to-human or human-tocomputer interaction. A pace maker, a self driving car, a T-shirt that can talk to your washing machine, or a farm animal with a tracker to enable its owner monitor its movement especially on a large farm are
all slowly but steadily becoming the new normal. The key principle is the ability to transfer data over a network using Internet Protocol (IP) addresses assigned to the natural or man-made object which then makes them smart. Your fridge at home, with this capability can notify your supermarket that you have run out of tomatoes to enable them stock up for your next visit. For newsrooms, it means there can be more devices to deliver news to over 100 billion devices which will be connected to private networks or the internet by 2020 (h p://www.computer.org/web/ computingnow/archive/september2013). Page 29
Also as "things" in the internet of things focus are rapidly changing from machine and system performance to people it will open doors for newsrooms to understand how human lives, societies and economies function in order to produce relevant content for them through analyzing data that is provided by the Internet of things. The power of the internet of things is ability to connect "things" via networks and crunch the rich data which is generated for varied decision making processes. Another trend which newsrooms must be on the look out for is net neutrality which describes the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites. The future of news is bound up with the future of the Internet. Therefore any new trend such as net neutrality has impact on journalism. For newsrooms, if net neutrality is thrown out of the window it will mean internet service providers and telecom companies will decide on where users should go to consume news and
what stories can get blocked or buried.
TREND 2: MOBILE PHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA There are currently over 8 billion users of mobile phones in the world with Ghana having more mobile phones (31,028,253 as at February 2015-National Communication Authority ) than its population of 25.9 million (2013). Also more and more users are now accessing internet on their phones and other mobile devices. Social media is growing in leaps and bounds with more and more users comsuming news from facebook or twi er. Combining mobile phones and social media is gong to become a very important channel for news production and distribution in the near future. Newsrooms must therefore invest heavily in understanding and making use of mobile technology and social media in order to stay relevant.
Page 30
TREND 3: THE ALGORITHMIC NEWSROOM An algorithm can be deďŹ ned as a procedure or formula for solving a problem. When it comes to the world of new digital technologies, it refers to a small procedure that solves a recurrent problem. Every user online one way or the other has come across search engines, with google being the most popular. Complex algorithms are the heart of these search engines combing the web to solve the users need for answers to search questions using keywords. Typical newsrooms are manned by editors, these group of persons play a critical role in determining what constitute news, however, the shift is now on how news is produced and consumed rather than on what it is made up of. Due to the advent of a myriad of digital technology tools, algorithms are now playing a key gate keeping role by providing input to newsroom on a moment-by-moment basis, generating top news leads, story ideas and trending topics. Some argue that in the future, the
editors role will be played by algorithms aided decision making systems on what constitute news. Another school of thought suggests that algorithms know you be er than you know yourself. In to news, this means having the news you care about, where you want it and when you want it. A good starting point is for newsrooms to understand that the reader is the best editor-in-chief and using algorithms they can learn more audience needs and deliver news which is important for these audiences. In direction, the total freedom of choice is brought to the doorstep of news consumers. The newsroom aided by input from semantic engine powered by algorithms can generate and promote the right content to the right audience in a more precise manner. The caveat though is that, algorithms can only go so far. Human ďŹ lters are still very important to ensure news consumers can have access to news they need to know. Also algorithms are not neutral, they are loaded with biases based on input from engineers who design such systems, so it is important to keep this in mind in relying on them. Page 31
TREND 4: MOBILE MONEY POWERED MICRO-PAYMENTS
TREND 5: WHAT SKILLS WILL NEWSROOMS OF THE FUTURE NEED?
The future of news driven by new digital technologies is very bright in Ghana, only if monetisation mechanism becomes more available to support development of "always on" news for the insatiable appetite of highly informed news consumers. The solution lies in the ability to take micro-payments., This is to say that instead of charging a couple of cedis, newsrooms should aim for payment options in which they can charge pesewas for audiences consuming their content. The challenge is, people are not always willing nor able to pay for high quality journalism. Designing a decent micro payment system can make it easy for such users to pay for news content. Given the growth in mobile money platforms on the continent, such micropayment systems should be powered by mobile money.
A million Ghana cedis question? What skills are required by journalists or what ever name they will be called in the future? Three key skills come to mind, being a very good journalists, will require the fundamental ability to tell compelling stories in more than words in order to cope with changes in the news ecosystem. Though one must discard long-form journalistic content generation style and produce content which will not only ďŹ t multiple devices but respond intimately to news consumer behavior in the connected age. Also, beyond basic computer literacy, there is a need to invest in more advanced skills in new digital technologies including programming and systems development. An ability to develop news apps and products is indispensable for survival in the newsroom of the future. Furthermore, a newsroom's ability to undertake curation Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
using both humans and automated systems can make a dierence to survival in a rapid information overloaded society, where news consumers need newsrooms to help them separate the wheat from the cha. Multitasking, constantly interacting and engaging with audiences is a key prerequisite for survival in the new disruptive news ecosystem. Lastly, journalists must specialise, instead of being "Jacks of all trades". The journalist who is highly skilled, specialised and highly trained in new digital technologies will not only be highly respected but very valuable for the newsroom of the future.
FUTURE OF NEWS THE NEXT CHAPTER In the future, are we going to have news services without journalists? Journalists and newsrooms are not going to vanish overnight however their characteristics will experience profound changes., Their unique ability to tell truth to power, identify facts, cross check them, verify and provide a balanced analysis will place the new journalist in a timeless position in the eyes of news consumers. More importantly we cannot have democracy without news and without journalists there will be no news as we know it. In conclusion, news, newsrooms, journalism and the media ecosystem are changing in a very disruptive way, however, the trade of good old journalism is going to stand the test of time.
Page 35
CHAPTER
6
Why journalist should be activist
(at least sometimes)
By Dan Gillmor Page 36
When Jorge Ramos, anchor at Univision, America's huge Spanish language media organization, asked combative questions of presidential candidate Donald Trump at a news conference this week, some journalists from other U. S. media companies complained that he was pu ing his interests before his journalism. He was taking sides, they said, not being neutral. Ramos was also doing the right thing. His so-called activism was an entirely fair response to Trump's xenophobic, even racist immigration proposals and statements in recent weeks. The newsman was taking a stand for liberty—in part because it is clear that Trump's push to remove all illegal immigrants would, if tried, require a police state. Ramos was engaged in advocacy journalism, a time-honored tradition in America and around the world. We need more of this, not less. We need it, in particular, in defense of the ideas and policies that preserve and
protect the basic human rights that make honest journalism possible. These include freedom of speech and the press, freedom to assemble, freedom to innovate and more. In many countries, notably where repressive regimes run governments, the very act of honest journalism is an act of advocacy—because advocating for free speech is considered anti-government acts. But even in western democracies and other places where freedom of the press exists, journalists still need to be advocates for those basic liberties. Even the New York Times, which normally pursues the laudable but una ainable goal of objectivity, has its limits on some issues. Last spring, the Times challenged China's increasing censorship and a acks on journalism, including Beijing's expanding blockade of websites and other digital information services. The Times said in an editorial that it had "no intention of altering its coverage to meet the demands of any government — be it that of China, the United States or any other nation." Page 37
The writers framed this policy as a communications. If they succeed, what we journalism issue: the right of a news say and do online will ultimately be organization to report what its journalists controlled by others – a betrayal of the believe is the truth. They were also Internet's decentralized promise. What are standing up for a wider freedom: people's these choke points? The most obvious is ability to get the information they what's happening to the Internet itself. wanted from the sources they In America and a number of chose. Because of China's other countries the telepolicy, both stances communications In many were a direct industry – often countries, notably challenge to working with where repressive regimes Beijing's government, and run governments, the very censorship. In in some cases other words, the outrightly owned act of honest journalism is Times journalists by government – an act of advocacy— were engaging in is deciding, or because advocating for an overtly political insisting on the act. right to decide, free speech is considered what bits of inforanti-government Powerful governments mation get to people's acts. and corporations are devices in what order leading the a ack against and at what speed, or core freedoms, usually in the guise whether they get there at all. of protecting us or giving us more convenience. Sometimes that is even true. But these powerful entities are also creating a host of information choke points. They are locking down of Page 38
This is what network neutrality is all about in the United States and other countries: whether we, at the edges of the networks, get to make those decisions or whether telecom companies will ultimately have that power, as they insist they need.
National laws are harsh enough, but the movie, pharmaceutical and other industries are using trade deals such as the pending Trans Pacific Partnership agreement to put corporate interests far above yours and mine.
Surveillance, too, has become a method for government – again, often working with big companies – to keep track of what journalists and activists are doing, well beyond the avowed mission of stopping terrorism and solving crimes. It is having a measurable chilling effect on freedom of expression, and no society that exists under pervasive surveillance can claim to enjoy basic liberty, because it deadens innovation and culture.
In one key respect we're cooperating with the creators of choke points – by coming to rely on centralized Internet like Facebook and Google. Do journalists understand that the Internet is ge ing new editors, namely the people who work for those companies? If they do grasp this, they aren't telling their audiences much about it.
At the same time, the valuable concept of "intellectual property"--copyright and patents, in particular—has been twisted by rights holders to lock down or control innovative technologies.
I'm not asking journalists to ignore nuances. But when it comes to things that directly threaten perhaps our the most fundamental liberty in a putatively free society – freedom of expression – there is no excuse for failing to explain what's at stake. Nor is there any excuse for failing to take more direct action. As a craft, journalism has done a poor job of explaining all this. Page 39
Technology is integral to these issues in a Digital Age, and there are too few journalists who understand it well enough, at least at the media organizations which still have the biggest audiences. We need be er journalism, and be er demand for quality from audiences. When it comes to taking action, the revelations of pervasive government spying have been a wake-up call to the extent that journalists are now paying more a ention to security and, in a few cases, deploying countermeasures.
We need to do much more. We should be campaigning to help our audiences see the threat and deploy their own countermeasures – and to persuade the public, and Congress, that liberty does carry some risks but is worth preserving. On this and so much more, we should be taking stands to protect speech, and acting on what we believe. We should be activists, proudly so. The alternative is terrifying to contemplate: a world of choke points and control.
Page 40
CHAPTER
7
A shifting media character
By Yaw Frempong Ampomah Page 41
“
Few years ago, people outnumbered connected devices by about 10 to 1. Today, there are more mobile phones in use than people for the first time. It is projected that by 2020, there will be roughly 10 connected devices for every human being on earth. Any keen observer would admit that though technological change is uneven between different parts of the world, different age groups, and different communities, we are yet to quite see the end to it. In fact, there is li le doubt that current trends only points toward an acceleration rather than a decline.
“
There is an ongoing debate on the future of Journalism with news production and dissemination skills and practice as key indicators of the direction of the ever increasing dynamism in the global news media landscape.
fit. In this digital age, the global news industry is almost without an alternative chance of survival beyond a constantly evolving strategy for news creation and sharing with growing information inequality in order to keep people informed.
When Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian, once said, "It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world everyday always just exactly fits the newspaper," he must have frozen time or he was just being a comedian because today, it doesn't Page 42
INTERNET CHANGED NEWS FOR THE BETTER?
The level of appreciation of the changes in the media landscape as new technologies emerge has varied over time and space with some newsrooms reacting to the chain of changes a lot more swiftly than others. Yet, there's a universal acceptance that tilts toward an overwhelming positive influence on news by the internet and technology advancement within the journalism practice.
Infinitely for the be er it did. We are living at the most exciting time for journalism since the advent of television clearly with new technologies making it all so possible for anyone interested in finding stories, reporting them, telling stories, sharing stories etc to do so with comparative ease It is projected from 10 years ago.
Presently, there is, indeed, that by 2020, there more information, more Journalism has a readily available in will be roughly 10 sustained duty to many more diverse connected devices for places keep everyone (sources) and informed; every human being formats, on more devices enabling its consumers to and to many more people on earth. be be er citizens, equipped than ever before, bearing in with what is need to be known. mind how the freedom of the One of the more salient probes has press is constantly said to be been to ascertain the degree of impact the limited to those who own one. internet has on this task and how positive or negative the response of news Today, anyone with an internet connection generation has been. But is that really a and a Twi er account can make the news. question to which an answer is hard to find? Page 43
FUTURE OF NEWS When? So here is a picture of what pertains in Africa. There is currently a billion citizens and 800 million sim cards in circulation with about 50% of the population connected to the Internet via the mobile network - also used for payments and money transfers - and the prospect of growth of investment in infrastructure that's about reaching $1.5 billion in 2015. The Future of News is now. Designing, testing, and making creative tools that help newsrooms move ahead aggressively in a time of rapid change as traditional news models erode is already upon us. The need for new models and techniques to reach a world hungry for news, but whose reading and viewing habits are increasingly splintered has never been more critical to the sustenance of any modern newsroom.
Newsrooms need to create new storytelling techniques, recognizing that the way users consume news continues to change. These changes in technological trends have altered Readers and viewers expectations of what news is. They want personalized content, deeper context and information that enables them to influence and change their world. At the same time, newsrooms that understand these are seeking new ways to extend their influence, to amplify their message by navigating new paths for readers and viewers, and to find new methods of delivery. Digital publishing has compressed the time scales for journalists and newspaper production staff and the World Wide Web has also meant increasing competition for newspapers from TV and radio companies that have moved into producing news in the wri en word format.
Page 44
Further, the emergence of self-publishing platforms has reduced the barrier and cost of publishing to virtually nothing, threatening the very livelihoods of people tied to print and older forms of broadcasting. The growth of easy digital publishing technology brings with it new dilemmas for journalists. Journalists now need to ďŹ nd ways to become news producing-broadcastingphotographic machines who have the right measure of daring, insight and technological aptitude to deliver news that is relevant.
Obviously the skills and training to ďŹ nd the right balance between citizen journalist, tech geek and professional newsperson will not come to most practitioners overnight or even, at all. What is required perhaps is to ensure that practitioners are at least aware of, and fully understand the trends, the tools and the technologies that could set them on the path to delivering to the public, what the public wants.
Page 45
CHAPTER
8 Future of News
Ghana's future of News: How Do We Connect with the 7 Billion
By Eunice Ofori Onwona Page 46
The recent Future of news forum hosted by penplusbytes brought more than 100 international media professionals together to debate the future of Ghanaian news for its journalists and for the region's growing community of information creators and consumers. Panelist Ethan Zuckerman (@EthanZ), director fot the MIT Center for Civic Media, the WWW Foundation's Africa Regional Coordinator Nnenna Nwakanma (@nnenna), Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor), head of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at ASU and Joy Fm's Nhyhira Addo (@GhRainmaker) spoke on a range of issues from, current trends in digital media innovations, to new tools for civic journalists, the professional journalist's role in an evolving market and of course, how to deal with trolls Here's the @africarizing team's top 5 takeaway from the event :
1. TARGET THE 7 BILLION "Your competition is not, the Daily Graphic. Your competition is the BBC and CNN"- @nnenna Nwakanma said for
her, it's not only about the 25.5 million Ghanaians looking for the news, it's also about the 7 billion human beings on the planet Earth. She encouraged Ghanaians to tell their own story and said local journalists should curate stories about Ghanaians that reect community issues using our unique voice that will also connect us to a wider, global audience.
2. HOMEGROWN IS THE BEST GROWN "Ghanaians need to build their own platforms"- @Ethanz it's the era of hashtags and Ghanaians should not be left out. Daily conversations about dumsor, our government, our music and our frenemies' (ghanavsnaija) are all taking place on a platform owned by a U.S,-based company: Twi er, And as Zuckerman pointed out at the panel, sometimes these platforms may restrict content. He encouraged Ghanaians to develop a platform of our own that will enable us to continue having thought provoking and entertaining conversations Page 47
but, in an environment the community can control.
3. DIGITAL INCLUSION
"the connected consumer is the future of news"- @nnema Panelists also debated how crucial it is for Deputy Minister of Communications, Ato Ghanaians to have these conversations in Sarpong, said Ghana currently has 16 as many local languages as possible. million mobile phone users and 4.2 Their advice, don't leave it to million internet users. That the one person who means the interest is still Ghana's public understands English unavailable to large in an Nzema-speaking and private sectors number of people community to need to combine their country-wide, for interpret a broadefforts to educate, connect most Ghanaians, cast or news report accessing the for others to reach and collaborate with its internet or owning the 7 billion, citizens to advance digital a mobile phone journalist will may simply be literacy and accessibility have to learn how unaordable. to engage indigenous through the use of There's also the lack speakers or as affordable of infrastructure Nwakwanma said, necessary in many areas technology. "When the Black stars are to meet the demands of playing, the best way to new mobile users. Ghana's understand the match is twi" public and private sectors need to combine their eorts to educate, connect and collaborate with its citizens to advance digital literacy and accessibility through the use of aordable technology. Page 48
Sarpong also said he had great interest in helping bridge this gap and called out Ghana'straditional media to become more digitally literate and social media savvy. Gillmor added, it is the duty of the journalist to share this knowledge with their customers and also to teach them how to be secure in their use of technology.
4. PAY FORTH THY COIN "Journalism isn't just a money - making profession but a social profession" -@EthanZ Right now in Ghana, monetization strategies for journalism center around outdated subscription models and the guy on the roadside who sells you the Daily Graphic in that on-your-way-45-minutetraďŹƒc. But sometimes, it's not about the money. So how do we, as consumers and as a community, compensate journalists, for a job well done? For Nwakanma, she said, 'a mention, a share and couple hundred followers' does the trick while for Addo, he says it's even simpler, "Money is a bi-product of a job well done".
5. #CHALELETSMAKENEWS "Journalists tend to be nervous about advocacy journalism. We have to get over that" -@EthanZ But what is it about a writer's post or tweet that makes us comment? or like? or@reply? Whatever it may be, Zuckerman and others at the forum said journalists need to remember there are many more people in the community who care just as much and want to talk about it with you. So journalists (all journalists!), don't be afraid to make your argument, hold your point of view and engage with your community. Tweet it, write a blog post, reply to a comment or publish a YouTube video response... Chale let's make some news!
"Your competition is not, the Daily Graphic. Your competition is the BBC and CNN" - @nnenna
Page 49
CHAPTER
9
Future of News Event
Highlights
Page 50
Formal Opening by the Honourable Deputy Minister of Communications -Ato Sarpong: We all consume news everyday. At independence Ghana had over 4 newspapers. As I was growing up I could see my aunty, my uncle, my grandmother reading newspapers and sometimes as young boys we didn't know what was going on so we would take the newspaper and use it for other purposes. You realized that the news was being read on the Saturday but apparently was meant for last week. So it took probably about ďŹ ve, six days for the newspaper to get to places like my Village. So by the time they are consuming the news it was already dead news. 8 decades ago GBC was established as national broadcaster and no private radio station registered at the time.
You fast forward into the 2000's and here we are with more than 200 newspapers registered in Ghana from the initial four with over 350 radio stations, 21 terrestrial TV networks and over 50 satellite channels across the country with no online portal at all. Today, there are numerous online portals such as joy online, Citi FM online, Peace FM online among others. We live in an environment today, where radio stations and TV stations are dependent on what is happening on social media to drive their content. So this is how far we have come as a country. I tell people that radio for example took 38 years to get to mass market, television took 13 years to get to mass market and the internet took 4 years to get to mass market. The IPod took 3 years to get to mass market, Facebook took 2 years to get to mass market, so this is what has been happening over the last couple of years. Five years ago while I was in private practice, there were about 33 billion Google Searches annually. Page 51
“
“
And so today people are no longer dependent on newspapers rather on their mobile phones which serve as news distribution devices.
Today as we speak there are over 1.4 trillion Google Searches annually. So technology and the emergence of internet has changed what we do on a daily basis. And so today people are no longer dependent on newspapers rather on their mobile phones which serve as news distribution devices. Many years ago, what news is consumed in a whole lifetime, by one person is now available for consumption in a day. The rate of change, means a graduate out of school will probably come out with information which is not relevant for the present reality. Also, new ideas and information keeps coming everyday so for any news organization, be it radio station, TV or online to remain relevant,
they must keep up with the rate of change by throwing away old ways and focusing on innovation. The goal is to stay relevant. People are consuming information from various sources and for news organization to be relevant you must ensure that you are playing your game in each spheres where people are consuming information. Listening to the Executive Director of Penplusbytes, in his introductory remarks mentioned 3 areas of their work including Oil and Gas which is obviously a new area and I will like to commend Penplusbytes for the great work they are doing.
Page 52
Ghana started its multiparty democracy journey a few years ago in 1993, so we are relatively young so Penplusbytes project in enabling citizens connecting with parliament is also commendable.
Today we have about 4.2 million internet users active on either laptops or desktops in addition to mobile devices. Government is commi ed to be instrumental in developing the infrastructure upon which services and systems will ride on. If we take Daily Graphic I met a group of for example, probably commissioners developing The question our widest some internet protocols circulated 2 days ago and I is how do you get that newspaper, and news to that young boy that was telling compare it to them that if you young girl who is mobile in 16 million look at Amazon, nature, who is ambitious, mobile internet Google or Yahoo users today who and you ask talented, who is skillful and are being driven what sort of looking at doing something by 5 or 6 mobile infrastructure better for himself and operators then they have, the Graphic is not answer will be that therefore has no time reaching a lot of they have basically no to waste reading the persons. As a producer infrastructure. The newspaper of news, by targeting mobile infrastructure they require users, you can reach a huge for service delivery is readily segment of 24million mobile users. available. Ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place, we will be In the past we used to have about 120,000 creating the enabling environment for internet users. services to thrive. Page 53
That is why a couple of months ago, His Excellency the President, launched the Eastern Corridor Fiber project with a Western Corridor fiber project also in the pipeline. We have 5 submarine cables landing in Ghana at the moment, with a total capacity of 13.5 terabytes. What we are consuming as a nation is less than 10 % of that capacity leaving, 90% of capacity not in use. This is unfortunate because internet access is mainly restricted to the regional capitals; what the business people call the triangle, Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi. We believe that Internet access must be expanded to cover the whole country so that a lot more people across the country can harness its potential. What we are doing as government is to help news organizations to deliver news in different ways through infra structural provision. I would like to advice people in the news business to stay one step ahead of technology if they are going to survive.
In short, in the past people who were consuming your news were probably in the above 40 age bracket. Today, news consumers are in the youth bracket. They don't believe in si ing behind their television set and watching the news. They don't believe in buying newspapers and reading it. They don't believe consuming news from radio stations. They believe in the use of gadgets on which they spend probably 90% of their time on daily basis to consume content including news. In conclusion let me say that creativity is the way to go. For me, Journalists’ primary responsibility is to reflect on daily basis, the information they put out meets the highest standards of their profession. Let me pose these five key questions: (a) The information that I churned out, is it information that is going to help the development of our nation? (b) The information that I churned out today, is it information going to empower people? Page 54
( c) The information that I churned out today is it information that is going to enhance people and help them to ourish and their entrepreneurial spirit enhanced? (d) The information that I churned out today is it going to lead to reform across the country across the globe? (e) The information that I churned out today, is it information that assures them of a be er tomorrow for all of us? For me that is a test of quality journalism. Unfortunately when you listen to the radio today, it is as if we live in a war zone. A situation where people who have no knowledge at all are asked to comment on things that they don't even have training in, nor insight or idea. As journalists, we seem to be failing our dear nation when we are pu ing issues that are not political in nature to political people. Yesterday a radio station called me and asked me a political question about something that was said by an opposition party. The best person to respond is my party not me.
We must learn to separate government issues from political ones. I am in government, so I speak for my government, I don't speak for my party, so if there is something that concerns my party then you have to call the party. There is unnecessary anxiety and worry amongst people and our gate keepers must ensure that they bring some sanity into the environment. Key question, how do we even deďŹ ne who a journalist is? Of course the constitution allows freedom, independence of the media and all of that. The Constitution tells us that we should not censor media and all of that, so that's ďŹ ne. The tool that we have as journalist if channeled can energize the people to do things that they thought was probably undoable. So things that are not probably doable becomes doable through the power of journalism.
Page 55
The tool that we have in our hands as journalists can be used to make things that are not-imaginable imaginable, things that are not-probable probable and things that are not-doable doable. So as journalists it's our collective responsibility to ensure that we play our role in moving our dear nation forward. On this note, on behalf of my boss the minister of communication, I would like to officially declare the online editors forum dully launched. I wish you successful deliberations and may the God Lord bless us all as we do our collective service in moving our dear nation forward. Thank you very much
END
Introduction by Moderator of Future of News Event -Nhyira Addo: There was a time when news travelled at a very slow pace, today in a few seconds the news happening in Accra or some li le corner could reach Tokyo in 5 minutes. So what does that future hold for us? What is the role of journalists? How can users affect the news? These are several different questions that we will be considering. We are going to invite a panel who will lead us in this conversation. Professor Daniel Gillmor is a Professor at Arizonia State University at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Communications. He has wri en several articles and published a book called “we the media: grassroots journalism by the people for the people”.
Page 56
Next Up is Nnenna Nwankanma, from next door, Ivory Coast. She is an experienced development professional who has worked on the ICT field in Africa for over a decade. Nnenna has in recent years co-founded the free software and open source foundation of Africa and serves as a Board member. She is on the Africa regional co-od of the Alliance for Affordable Internet project. I am sure there are a lot of people out there who would want the Internet to be a lot more affordable. Ethan Zuckerman is a co-founder of Geekcorps and Global Voices. He is a Fellow at the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at Havard University. In 2007 he joined the inaugural Wikipedia Foundation Advisory Board and serves on a number of boards including Ushahidi and the Open Society Institute US programme Board. Ethan is also a Director of the Centre for Civic Media at, MIT
Q : As we go forward will this digital revolution affect the course of the media’s work? Will news as we know it survive the changes?
Dan Gillmor Certainly journalism will survive, whether media organisations as they exist today will survive is an open question I think we have lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future of this ecosystem of media because technology exist and allows us to do things in ways that we have never done. There are many issues at hand and problems that worry me about the future. But overall I am optimistic. Q : Well it’s a good thing to be optimistic, Ethan with your experience with tools in use, do you think this disruption is a good thing?
Ethan Zuckerman Look I think I want to give a couple of reasons for optimism and a couple of Page 57
cautions. So here’s my first reason for optimism. The Deputy Minister reminded us that he had access to about 4 newspapers growing up. My first experience is when I was a student at Legon in 1993-1994, walking around in Accra, I felt that I was a character in a movie. Because that was a sound track that followed me everywhere was Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). Because every radio was tuned to it and every radio set in town was playing the same music. Today obviously that’s changed. And it’s changed radically and now you have incredible diversity and plurality on radio and Television. It is important to note that Ghana according to Freedom of the press 2015 report is having the 28th highest media freedom on the planet. The only country in Africa which is up higher was Namibia and this is significantly higher than the US or the UK. In addition there is a vibrant social media and democratic culture here. Everybody understands that, Ghana has now become the model for the region for free and fair elections and transition from one political party to the other.
The question : is the media we have doing the job that we need it to do for our systems ? So having more media is a great indication, since more people are free to speak and different ideas can get out there. Media is not just a job, it’s not just a way of making money. Journalism isn’t just profession. It’s a social profession and the question I think the question we should be asking at this moment is are we ge ing the news we need? And this is a question not just for Ghana. But Ghana is a very positive story watching from Massachuse s and I can get a sense that media vibrancy is very healthy . Now the question here, can JoyFM or Daily Graphic and all these other terrific media houses here, help us understand what the government is doing, what people are saying and also help us find solutions to local problems. And this in many ways is what we mean by civic media.
Page 58
Civic Media isn’t just media that entertains us or just keeps us busy. Its media that helps us take action as citizens and for me that’s the challenge right now. In this direction, media must help us figure out how to get citizens engaged but more importantly makes us as citizens more powerful.
Q : In terms of harnessing citizens views in the news ecosystem what is possible. ? What do we need to do differently if we want to see that happen?
Nnenna Nwakanma Good morning Ghana. First I want to introduce myself again. My name Nnenna
I come from the internet that’s the capital. So we have 7 billion citizens to empower. Having said that I don’t care as a user whether media houses go bankrupt. It’s not my business I just want my news. I want it now, I want it mobile, I want it with me. I want it to be about me. I want it to be about the things that ma er to me and I want it to be cheap and I want it to go with me everywhere. So in that case, I am not still speaking about Ghanaians, I am speaking about all of us, the 7 billion of us. So you are welcome to remain alive, you are welcome to make money, you are welcome to continue your job but as long as the user is at the centre of it, as long as my needs are taken care of and if we begin to think
I would like everyone who thinks they are part of a media profession to go home with this fact; it is not about 27 million Ghanaians. It’s about 7 billion of us. That’s the target. - Nnenna Nwakanma Page 59
about the 7 billion of us you will find out that it’s of li le importance whether it is NPP or NDC that wins elections in Ghana. So if I am going to buy your newspaper and half of it is about party politics you won’t get my money because it’s not the most important thing to me. What’s important is the analysis of it. What’s important is if my business is going to thrive. What’s important to me is the exchange rate of the cedi to the dollar and how it affects my business. What’s important to me is where can I get cheap flights. What’s important to me is that my village is covered in the news. What’s important to me is news about development. What’s important to me is government budget and how it’s being spent and how it’s accounted for. That’s what's important to me. So only in that framework will I be able to give you my 3 cedis per day to buy a newspaper. The key issue empowered news consumers means journalists livelihood will be protected. The day consumers feel news industry is not useful then you can go brankrupt I am sorry.
Q: But let’s see what Professor Gillmor feels about this?
Dan Gillmor I can speak mostly for my own country and I am less familiar with Ghana. Ethan talked about the need for civic media for information that helps us make be er decisions that impact our lives. Whereas Nnnena spoke about the necessity of having access to information for her day to day existence. Traditionally media have often been in the driving position and this is mostly telling us what constitute news without any interaction with audience. It’s impossible for traditional media to die if they use a new mindset of producing news as a conversation rather than one way flow. Q : As Nnenna Nwakanma surmised a great deal of the news is NPP NDC party politics. How much of a shift could we anticipate with the advent of social media and citizen involvement?
Page 60
I have been coming to Ghana over the period at least once a year so, over the years, I have witnessed an increased level of interaction and responsibility that we actually don’t see among politicians in many countries. We can describe the media culture in Ghana as two way with people participating in the conversation and the willingness of the government to get involved as well is admirable. Now here’s the other side. This is an incredibly political country and we have a tendency to see things in NDC versus NPP. My hope for Ghana is this ability to have this two way conversation, this ability to have discussions where politicians are held answerable to citizens on one hand and where citizens can ask hard questions on the other hand could lead us to political diversity. This moment in time, we have 16 million Ghanaians who are ge ing information on their mobile phone and also able to use some digital tools to organize is an important development.
Ghana is in a very interesting position. Blessed with political stability, blessed with media freedom but facing a really tough set of problems of moving into middle income status. Is there some way we can take advantage of this stability and political culture and change its political dynamics?.Could we see new political movements, new political parties coming up. Just one example before I go. In Nigeria we’ve seen the emergence of a political force united around an idea that it is absurd that Nigeria should go without electricity. So they started a campaign that is known by two names : Light up 9ja and Enough is Enough to agitate for be er services. There is great opportunity in Ghana for people to identify those key challenges for example electricity, education, unemployment and use citizens power to resolve some of these challenges
Nnenna Nwakanma The Deputy Minister spoke about 16 million Ghanaians have mobile phones. If we want to get 2Gig you are still paying between 15 and 30 Ghana Cedis for 2G of data on your mobile phone. Page 61
And how many Ghanaians can afford that? That means that if I am on my farm in Sekondi and I want to follow this [forum] on Joy FM via online radio. How many Ghanaians can stream? Every Ghanaian would have that capacity to stream, to get the news when they want, how they want at an affordable rate. That would be my first submission. I believe that technology is the way forward not
Kenya was the first to reduce taxes on digital devices. Kenya as a country invested in broadband connectivity with the EASY cable. So what we have seen is that countries that have given affordable internet access and digital inclusion a second thought, like Rwanda and Mauritius, these are countries are the ones uplifting their citizens.
just for news but for Africa’s development. If we want to engage as citizens. If we want to raise ourselves from poverty. If we want to evolve into an information and knowledge society then technology becomes critical. As I travel around the world, what I have found is that the countries that invest in technology policy are the ones that are making progress. So the question is what importance do we give to connectivity in each country?
Beyond digital literacy we should strive for digital inclusion. In closure, we need to let news makers know that not everybody will read the news. I want to listen to news while I am doing something else. You don’t have a right to monopolise my a ention. The millennials are a multitasking generation. Page 62
We want to hear the news while we are doing something else so we need to think about people who don’t care about reading but still want news. And that is why I said that we need to move from literacy to digital literacy from digital literacy to digital inclusion. Q : Can you give us a global overview on some the key talking points and also surveillance issues related to the future of news.
DAN Gillmor That’s a big question let me make a few quick observations about the number of experiments in the use of information. Data and all the things associated with the news technology. There is an uncountable number of experiments, some will invariably fail and others will succeed. So I am excited about what’s possible. The important thing about global environment that we can discuss is emerging threats to people in context of increasing collection information about people on one hand and people giving out
such information are all at risks. This of course includes governments who are spying on their citizens and other countries’ citizens at growing rates in ways that are quite dangerous for journalists who are still trying to do their job because they are under surveillance. Even now journalists both professional and citizens journalists are at great risk these days, never mind the physical risk that is growing in Syria, Mexico etc. Then there are issues such as chokes and bo lenecks that are being created in the re-centralization of technology. The Internet is a radically decentralized set of technologies that are networked. Which means conversations that are centered on these central issues largely should take place at the peripheries not at the center. And what we are seeing is re-centralising of information. And I am keenly aware that one of the key bo lenecks is the industry itself. If you want to get your information on mobile wherever and whenever you want it, you need to be aware that mobile provider, that is the Telecoms provider have a lot to say about whether or not you get it or not. Page 63
That’s another area where I think there’s great concern and we should be thinking about it very hard because these companies have enormous power and more often than not they are accountable. Finally there is corporate centralization, I am talking about companies like, Google, Facebook, Apple, few others that have enormous power on information flow, both directly and indirectly. For example, Facebook to have the power to decide what the news is, for any individual. Should it have this power, my answer is a big no. I think you should decide, we should decide not some programmer si ing in Malibu or in some California decide based on algorithm. These are tremendously important issues for all of us and a lot of it is taking place in ways that we are not entirely aware of. One of the reasons why I am so passionate about open source since it provide a useful mechanism to check and protect our ability to use technology in the way we choose as opposed to in a centralized way.
Q : How much of the open source movement , can influence and sanitize some of the issues that Prof. Gillmor just explained in his submission.
Nnenna Nwakanma Ok we need to understand the philosophy of open source. The main word itself is the openness. Some 15 years ago when we became open source advocates people were looking at you like what’s that. Today anyone who buying a digital device will ask the question about operating system. Everybody is asking can I do (Application Programming Interface (APIs). Everybody is asking can I customize. Everybody is asking those questions and the answer lies in open source. So I think I can now retire and die happy in that way. But having said that, the main thing is the capacity to engage. So the openness in governance, the openness in data, openness in technology, openness in citizen services is actually what we are talking about. So we are talking about openness in the way we do things. Page 64
Openness in contracting, openness in standards, openness in data. Openness in government. I understand that Ghana is a member of the open government partnership, however, it sound like ticking boxes. So ticking boxes is one thing but engaging and implementation is more important which comes down to citizens push for change. Recentlly there was a twi er fight, between Ghana and Nigeria. Of course fight between Ghana and Nigeria is ok. We are sibling countries. And now that fight is now about open data and I am loving it. But the one that I love most is Kenyans on twi er and their fight with CNN on terror editorial angle the network took prior to President Obama visit . Oh my God. I couldn’t sleep it was an exciting twi er fight to follow .
When I am eating a meal on a flight and I am tweeting about it, that airline cannot say anything contrary to what me I am tasting in my mouth. That is what makes news. So what trends on twi er becomes news. The Future of news is trending at number one in Ghana now, so Charley we are going making news as we speak.. The journalist will live, we will pray for them. You work to live. But we everyday Ghanaians we will make the news. And when journalists decide to work with citizens interactively then future of news is bright.
Those days they used to tell us, I am veteran journalist with over twenty years of experience. These days we don’t care. In the future, news is no longer made by the news company, but by its engagement with people like me that generate news these days. Page 65
PROFILE This book is the outcome of informed perspectives on the application of new digital technologies in the newsroom. It summarily provides insight into the "Future of News" by highlighting current and future trends needed to stay relevant in today's news generation and dissemination process. The important newsrooms concepts emphasized include Wearables technologies, the place of Newspaper in a technology driven space, Key trends in the newsroom and Ghana's place on the Global stage of Digital Media. The Chapters are a compilation of a series of articles wri en to mark Penplusbytes "Future of News" Forum in Accra on August 28th 2015 and are well organized to help readers acquire some useful background on new technologies in the news world as prelude to a more concerted eort to get the Ghanaian news ecosystem to embrace the future.
www.facebook.com/Penplusbytes www.twi er.com/penplusbytes www.youtube.com/penplusbytes www.penplusbytes.org Page 35