Media and New Technology in Ethiopia - a Study of an Interface: A Case Study of the ERTA/ETV Newsroom
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Date
2011-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The development of the internet and flexible new media technology profoundly changed
the level of information exchange. This study elicited the interface of new media
technology in the case of ERTA/ETV newsroom.
The study tried to examine the extent to which new media technology is employed at
ERTA/ ETV newsroom. Since ERTA is a national figure, this study is believed to show
the new media technology functionality in Ethiopia.
To generate appropriate data, both qualitative and quantitative research methods are
employed. Three different tools namely FGDs, questionnaire and observations were
employed. For the questionnaire, by using availability sampling, out of the total 450
newsroom staff, 200 research subjects who were on duty during the data collection dates
were taken. The available members were taken because all newsroom staffers perform
similar jobs and own more or less equivalent capabilities in running newsroom activities.
Thus, no significant effect hampered the research outcome. Moreover, 10 and 8
discussants participated in the first and the second focus group discussions respectively.
In the mean time, a two weeks observation was carried out to fill the gaps and triangulate
the data which were gathered by the questionnaire and the FGDs.
.Finally, the findings revealed that new media technology is employed at ERTA/ETV
newsroom to gather process and disseminate news. Furthermore, ERTA was found to
own a combination of different media technology experts and journalism practitioners.
However, the extent and coordination of the infrastructure, the available new media
technology devices and the number of computers to staff ratio were far behind the
demand. In accordance with this, a significant number of the respondents expressed their
dissatisfaction of the state of affairs of the situation of the new media technology
infrastructure and the equipment in the newsroom. The study revealed that the majority of
the respondents viewed the internet optimistically and explained that it practically
simplified their job.
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To sum up, the study recommended that the utilization of the new media technology
should be the top priority and a basic tool for the smooth operation of the newsroom. This
would be the most advantageous if humanware, hardware and software are sufficiently
provided and well integrated for the proper function. A newsroom, like that of the
ERTA/ETV, in the age of information, can cope with the challenges of modern
broadcasting if the resources of the new media technology were properly introduced and
the skilled human resources to handle such resources is made available.
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Keywords
Technology in Ethiopia