An Assessment of the Impact of Online Publications on Traditional Newspaper Circulation
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CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY ZAMBIA BACHELOR OF JOURNALISM AND MASSCOMMUNICATION (BJMC) An assessment of the impact of online publications on traditional newspaper circulation. - Case study of Zambia Daily Mail Newspapers Limited By Name: GEOFFREY PHIRI Student No. 001-918 SUBMITTED: AS PARTIAL FULFILMENT IN ATTAINING A BACHELOR DEGREE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION AT CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY @JUNE 2018 1 ABSTRACT This study was assessing the impact that online publications have on print newspapers. The research was instituted specifically in the wake of online publications which seems to be on the rise and posing a threat to the continued existence of print newspaper. With the coming of online publications we are seeing a reduction in the number of print newspaper sales as more and more people are now running to online publications for their news. This study focused on three groups of respondents, staff at Zambia Daily Mail Newspapers, newspaper vendors and newspaper readers. A combined total of 32 respondents were surveyed and these include 10 newspaper readers, 10 staff at Zambia Daily Mail, and 12 newspaper vendors. A purposive sampling technique was used to select these respondents because the researcher wanted to have the right responses. The findings of the study have revealed that print newspapers have been affected by online publications and this is mainly in the circulation of the print papers. It has been discovered that there is a reduction in the production, circulation and sales of newspapers though the exact extent is not known as people still use both online and print newspapers together. This reduction is not instant but gradual as it has been recorded over a period of time. It can however be stated that as the number of people owning mobile phones increases and also the number of people accessing internet services increases, more and more people will start accessing online newspaper and this might further impact on the circulation of print newspapers. But for now print newspapers will continue to exist and is going side by side with online newspapers. Finally the researcher is recommending for another study on the topic which can target a big number of people as opposed to this one which only looked at a small number due to among other thing financial and logistical challenges. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am grateful to God for the good health and wellbeing that were necessary for me complete this research. I would like to also express my deepest appreciation to my wife LEATITIAH, my children Gideon and Joy, my parents, siblings and friends and everyone who supported me during the time I was doing this course. Furthermore I would like to say my sincere thanks to my supervisor Mr. B. Mwale who is also the Head of Department in the school of Media Studies for his professional guidance while I was doing this research and during the entire period of study. Also all the staff in the school of Media studies for helping and shaping me into a better person. My friend Samuel Biemba who also helped me to distribute and collect the questionnaires from newspaper vendors. 3 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this research titled: Assessing the impact of online publications on the circulation of print newspapers and which has been submitted by me is the original work carried by me for the partial fulfilment of the award of Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication at Cavendish University Zambia. All works done by other people have been correctly acknowledged. I further wish to declare that to this research has not been submitted anywhere else for any academic award nor for publication. Signed by student…………………….. Date……………………… Students Name: Geoffrey Phiri Approved by supervisor………………. Date………………………. Name of Supervisor: Mr Binwell Mwale Supervisor’s title: Head of Department School of Media Studies. 4 TABLE OF CONTENT CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY ZAMBIA __________________________________________ 1 ABSTRACT _________________________________________________________________ 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT _____________________________________________________ 3 DECLARATION_____________________________________________________________ 4 LIST OF ACRONYMS _______________________________________________________ 7 LIST OF TABLES ___________________________________________________________ 8 LIST OF FIGURE ___________________________________________________________ 9 CHAPTER ONE ____________________________________________________________ 10 1.0 INTRODUCTION 10 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 10 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT 12 1.3 RESEARCH PURPOSE 13 1.4 RATIONALE OF STUDY. 13 1.5.0 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY. 13 1.5.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVES 13 1.5.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 14 1.5.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS. 14 1.5.3 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS (H1). 14 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY. 14 1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY 15 CHAPTER TWO ___________________________________________________________ 16 LITERATURE REVIEW ____________________________________________________ 16 2.0 INTRODUCTION 16 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW 16 2.3 LITERATURE REVIEW UNDERPINNING STUDY 18 2.4 RESEARCH VARIABLES ARISING FROM LITERATURE 19 2.5 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK 21 5 CHAPTER THREE _________________________________________________________ 23 METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN. ____________________________________________ 23 3.0 INTRODUCTION________________________________________________________ 23 3.1 RESEARCH APPROACH 23 3.2 RESEARCH STRATEGY 23 3.3 SAMPLING FRAME 23 3.4 SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES 24 3.5 DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES 24 3.6 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS 24 3. 7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION 25 CHAPTER 4 _______________________________________________________________ 26 PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS _____________________________________________ 26 4.0 INTRODUCTION. 26 4.1 PRESENTATION OF QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS 26 CHAPTER 5 _______________________________________________________________ 33 DATA ANALYSIS __________________________________________________________ 33 5.0 INTRODUCTION 33 5.1 ANALYSIS OF DATA 33 5.2 ANALYSIS OF OVERALL FINDINGS 36 CHAPTER 6 _______________________________________________________________ 39 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS __________________________________ 39 6. 0 INTRODUCTION 39 6.1 CONCLUSION 39 6.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 40 REFERENCE ______________________________________________________________ 41 APPENDICES ______________________________________________________________ 44 6 LIST OF ACRONYMS APPS Applications E-VERSION- Electronic Version GB Giga Byte ICT Information Communication Technology MP Member of Parliament MTN Mobile Telecommunication Company UNIP United Nation Independence Party SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences ZAMTEL Zambia Telecommunication Company ZICTA Zambia Information Communication and Technology Authority 7 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Reason people prefer the use of online or print newspaper..............................29 Table 2: Where people access news from .......................................................................30 8 LIST OF FIGURE Figure 1: Showing the occupation of respondents ......................................................27 Figure 2: Showing he news medium that people prefer ................................................27 Figure 3: Showing respondent’s preference of the media according to age...................28 Figure 4: Frequency in which people access preferred media.........................................29 Figure 5: Showing responses whether people trust online media....................................30 Figure 6: Showing the kind of news that people love to read.........................................31 Figure 7: Showing rate of satisfaction .............................................................................32 9 CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Introduction The coming of online publications also called new media or social media has brought serious competition to traditional media such as print newspapers. People are shifting attention from print newspapers which has been the main source of news for a long time and now focusing on online media to get news. The reason online publications are taking waves and affecting print newspaper could be varied. This research therefore assess the impact that online publications has caused on the circulation and readership of print newspaper in Zambia. The research was specifically focused on one of Zambia’s oldest and state owned newspaper, The Zambia Daily Mail. 1.1 Background to the study Print newspapers were the first medium to be used in the dissemination of information to a wide audience in Zambia and the world over. Muhammadali (2011) said the invention of the movable metal types by Johannes Gutenberg in 1457 paved the way for mass production of printed materials. Wikipedia (2017) states that the first newspaper to be printed and disseminated to a wider audience was first published in Germany from 1609. Sinkolongo (2008) said the first newspaper to be published in Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) was the Livingstone Pioneer which was first published in 1902 and it also was the first medium to transmit news or information to a wider audience. Zambia Daily Mail Newspapers however, started its publications in the 1960’s as African Mail before changing to Central African Mail. Lusaka Voice (2014) states that the paper which was co-owned by David Astor, then editor of the Sunday Observer in London, and Alexander Scott, a former Scottish Doctor was a popular paper among blacks in the early 60’s because it was not afraid to publish stories that were critical of federal government, the colonial government and authorities