The Adoption of Mobile Journalism in Ethiopian Newsrooms: The Case of Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC)
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Date
2025-05-30
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Mobile journalism has increasingly become popular in newsrooms due to the burgeoning number of audiences using mobile devices and social media. Scholarship in mobile journalism has analyzed news gathering, production and dissemination, content production for mobile users. However, no studies focus on adopting mobile journalism within Ethiopian newsrooms. This study aimed to examine the adoption of mobile journalism in newsrooms in Ethiopia using the case study of the EBC newsroom. The study employed diffusion of innovation and adopted a mixed methods research approach design, employing a survey (N=72) and in-depth interviews (N=10) as data collection techniques with EBC newsroom staff. The study found that mobile journalism adoption in the Ethiopian newsroom was substantial. EBC stood at 55.6% (n=40) of 72 respondents fully adopting mobile journalism. Although mobile journalism has been adopted substantially in Ethiopian newsrooms, the practice has not been fully integrated in reporters’ work routines. The drivers of mobile journalism adoption or lack of it were categorized into four broad themes: individual and mobile device characteristics, organizational and societal factors. The challenges of adopting mobile journalism were categorized into the cost of mobile devices, lack of skills, and Internet penetration.
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Mobile Journalism, Adoption