body-container-line-1
15.06.2015 Feature Article

2015 Online journalism in Ghana: the state of some others

2015 Online journalism in Ghana: the state of some others
15.06.2015 LISTEN

Although online journalism in Ghana is looking arguable promising, vibrant and newsworthy however, some needs rebranding, restructuring and well positioning.

As far as Technical Journalism, Entrepreneurial Skills, Curating and Community Management is concerned, these should be the principal tools needed to maintain online journalism as a credible media platform.

Most online news sites are not up to standard as recognised by the principles of online journalism. At a time when digital age is disposing many a traditional media, online journalism is an advantage.

Online journalism needs to take the opportunity available at its disposal, by bridging the gaps in traditional news delivery, with maximum speed and accuracy as its bedrock and cornerstone.

Be it radio, audio, video, text, photography or publishing, online media is the only platform that can encapsulate all the various media genres at the same time.

So therefore, some news sites need to employ qualified online journalists who have the expertise in technical journalism, entrepreneurial skills and an aptitude to curate editorially.

As well as professional personnel who are adept in online community management, in order to enhance the principles of online journalism as deemed fit by the digital age of the 21st century.

When it comes to contents, some online news sites are barely active in the sense that, clicking on a said content does not navigate to anywhere, leaving the reader perplexed and disappointed.

And when in such situation, it does not make sense to revisit such news sites anymore. Some online news sites do not even update some of their news as comprehensive journalism demands.

Instead of collecting, collating and publishing online news as journalism deems fit; what some news sites do is to simply copy and paste from one site to the other: a term rather known as ‘churnalism’.

So the central question then becomes as clear as: how practical is online journalism in Ghana, given the digital challenges of online journalism in the 21st century.

Since time is everything, in online journalism, one can access radio, audio, video and news at a go, due to the advantage of its media multiplicity.

This is a major advantage over the accessibility of traditional media where each media component is consumed or accessed separately.

The fact is research: speed and accuracy are the most important elements of online journalism in the publishing of news and delivery of information in the 21st century.

Connecting all these disciplines together will spring forth some sort of qualitative online journalism as practised by top notch journalists all over the world.

So by adhering to the principal principles of online journalism, most news sites in Ghana will do much better than they are currently doing.

Wilfred Clarke.

body-container-line