INFLUENCE OF THE INTERNET ON NIGERIAN JOURNALISM

Abstract

The internet has played a very vital role in every aspect of journalism. It has been a medium of publication in terms of news reporting and direction for journalism education, as well as it has been used to find out new facts about the social and economic responsibilities of journalists in terms of the ethical practice of journalism. Traditional media has been under threat since the evolution and existence of the internet. Some Nigerian media organisations have an already established presence in cyberspace, and these media houses have continued to be veritable sources of news and information to both Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. Since the inception of the internet, the rate of the performance of the press and printing industry has been declining steadily. The movement of readers, viewers and advertisers from the print and broadcast media to the web is not limited to only the Western world but has also become a visible trend in developing countries, including Nigeria, and some changes have occurred in the various file of the profession since the advent of the internet. As a result of this, the paper is aimed at identifying the influence of the internet on Nigerian journalism and looking at the changes that online journalism has brought to the media landscape in Nigerian as the traditional media mainly feel its presence. The study adopts the technological determinism theory by McLuhan and the media morphosis theory. While technological determinists hold that technology is the primary determinant of change in society, Media morphosis theory supports the unification of already existing media institutions with the changes brought about by technology. It, however, concluded that the traditional media, instead of being displaced by online journalism, should try to converge with the new media to enhance its operation. Secondary data was obtained through library research, and it was recommended that both the federal government and the state government, as well as privately owned media houses, should strive to train their staff on online journalism and also equip the media houses with the needed infrastructure to assist them to stay relevant in their field in this digital era of online journalism.