New Media Technologies and Internal Newsroom Creativity in Mozambique

Abstract

This paper discusses the various ways in which a community newspaper in Mozambique is creatively appropriating new media technologies to enhance its news production and distribution practices. Far from being backward, the case of @Verdade demonstrates that despite being under-resourced, community newspapers in Africa are catching up in terms of creatively appropriating new media technologies. Besides spawning new ways of practising journalism, this article argues that the pervasiveness of new media technologies in the routines of the @Verdade newsroom has engendered collaborative storytelling while at the same time destabilizing traditional journalism’s ethical practices. Using data drawn from qualitative research, the study discusses how the use of social network sites, the mobile phone as well as the internet in general are aiding @Verdade to generate and engage with news sources as well as deliver content to diverse audiences. Drawing on structuration theory (as modified by Orlikowski) and the sociology of journalism approach, the paper argues that the disruptive impact of new media technologies needs to be understood as a duality of influences—the human agency of individual journalists and owners (internal newsroom creativity) vis-à-vis the wider context of news production (restructuring of journalism practice).

Keywords:

• citizen journalism
• creative appropriation
• Mozambique
• new media technologies
• newsrooms
• social media
• structuration theory
• @Verdade

FUNDING

This study was made possible by generous funding from the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Highway Africa Chair of Media and Information Society (Rhodes University), South Africa. While their support is gratefully acknowledged, the views reflected in this study are those of the author and not the two funding organisations.

Notes

1. This is according to the www.internetworldstats.com as of 30 June 2012.

2. This was the theme of the Press Freedom Day Celebrations sponsored by Mondi Shanduka Newsprint Private Limited held at the Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, Albany Museum, 4 May 2009.

3. This refers to a wireless communications standard designed to provide 30–40 megabit/second data rates, with the 2011 update providing up to 1 Gbit/second for fixed stations.

4. Community can be defined in many ways, from time- and space-specific communities of culture and geography, to intentional communities or communities of affinity such as virtual communities or interpretive communities (Bender 1978). In this study, community newspaper refers to a non-profit-making newspaper whose audiences are concentrated on a particular geographical location, although its reach is not limited to that particular locality.

5. SMS refers to a text messaging service component of phone, Web or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices.

6. Whatsapp is a cross-platform instant messaging application for smartphones. Users are able to text messages, send each other images, video and audio media messages.

7. BBM is an internet-based instant messenger and video-telephony application included on BlackBerry devices that allows messaging between BlackBerry users.