The Impact of ICT on the Print Media Journalist in Uganda

On 22 September 2009, I shall graduate from the University of Amsterdam, having fulfilled all the requirements necessary to attain a Masters of Art in New Media and Digital culture which I have been pursuing in last one year.  Here below is the abstract of my research. If you wish to look at the whole research, please visit: Download AliBalunywaMA-Thesis-09.pdf

Abstract

I chose my topic of research because not much research has been done on how ICT has impacted on the print media journalist in Africa. My research will therefore enrich media theorists who lacked information on how the new media has heavily influenced African journalism. I established that Africa’s media density and Internet connectivity are quite low. These limitations however emphasize the strategic importance of African journalists have placed on ICT to enrich their information and reach.

During my research, I established that all journalists are aware of the relevance of ICT and its impact on the day-to-day activities of journalists. I also observed how the new media has reduced the technological gap between the West and South and how ICT has simplified the work of the journalist. Production time has been tremendously cut down by ICT use

To get my results, I used different research methods, which included observation; I worked at the New Vision newspaper in Uganda for one month. I observed how journalists use new media in their day-to-day work. I also participated in the day-to-day work of a journalist. I was deployed by the editor to gather news, write stories and generally attended the daily journalists’ meetings.  I also interviewed 35 journalists, writers, editors, subeditors and managers. Finally, I distributed 200 questionnaires of which 101 were returned filled in. I tried to establish how far ICT/New Media has advanced print media journalism in Uganda.

Journalism in Uganda matured only in the last 20 years. Before this it was basically one of those professions for school dropouts.  Government mostly owned the media industry and its main objective was propaganda. Today all this has radically changed. The private sector has embraced the media and the industry is blossoming.  The journalists have not missed out new advances in technology. African Media professionals to enhance their writing skills, design, layout, photography, presentation, sales and marketing have applied ICT.

From my findings, I established that the new media has been instrumental in narrowing the digital divide between the west and south. Journalists in both situations are using the same new media to facilitate their work. There might be an absence of broadband Internet in Africa, but that doesn’t hinder journalists from using the latest new media tools even as the speeds might be low.

Larger implications of my findings indicate that well as the less developed countries have struggled to economically grow without much success, new technologies seem to have succeeded where other resources have failed. The new media is part of these technologies. What is happening anywhere in the world is now syndicated the world over and can be reported at the same time in Washington, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Kampala.

Uganda gets Broadband

Uganda gets cheaper Internet

FARIDAH KULABAKO

Kampala

Ugandans’ thirst to get connected to the world through faster data transfer  and website updates without leaving the comfort zone has been quenched by the launch of broadband Internet service in the country.  

Seacom’s fibre optic cable that links East and Southern Africa to Asia and Europe through the Middle East, was intended at providing the East and South Africans access to the whole world through fast, affordable and reliable Internet services. 

Speaking at the Seacom launch in Kampala on Thursday, the company representative in Uganda, Mr Fred Moturi, said the undersea cable has a bandwidith which encourages volume discounts and large bandwidth growth unlike the satellite connections that have been dominating the country for the past years.

It is expected that broadband will reduce the cost of Internet connection by more than 80 per cent lower than satellite connection with a capacity of 1.28TB per second, to provide the much needed Internet connection capacity. 

Seacom broadband Internet which will be sold to the Internet service providers (ISPs) at $400 (Shs800, 000) is $6, 100 (Shs12.2m) cheaper than the satellite technology which costs $6,500 (Shs13m). “Since we will sell ISPs at a cheaper price, we expect them to provide it to the end users at least 75 per cent less,” said Mr Moturi.

The Minister for Information and communication Technology, Mr Aggrey Awori, said the cable will stimulate education growth, health, media and talent while spurring innovation and creativity. “We are going to use the facility as a platform to boost e-medicine, e-education and e-commerce,” said Mr Awori. 
Kenya Data Network constructed a 15,000km fibre optic cable linking Mombasa, Nairobi and Kampala and connects to the undersea cable of Seacom.

The project which cost $600 million (Shs120 billion) had 76.25 per cent of finances coming from African funders and the rest from Herakles Capital, a United States agency.

During the launch, Seacaom with Cisco jointly built a voice, data and video platform where the launch of Seacom was broadcast live via Internet protocol to five launch locations including; Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania.

The State Minister for ICT, Mr Alintuma Nsambu, said the government opted for this Internet to provide alternative cheaper Internet solutions to citizens.

To make sure that customers get full value for their money, broadband companies will be regulated by the Uganda Communications Communication for security reasons.

The Monitor Newspaper 25 July 2009