HOW THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA IS STRATEGIZING TO MEET THE NEW MEDIA TREND AND THE ACTIVITIES OF CITIZEN JOURNALISTS

INTRODUCTION

The question demands that we present how Citizen Journalists through the use of social media affect the activities of traditional media and how the latter is strategizing to meet the changing trend.

In our presentation, we will define social and traditional media as well as Citizen Journalism. We will then talk about the evolution of Citizen Journalism and also highlight its advantages and disadvantages. 

Our presentation will touch on the difference between professional and citizen journalism and move onto the relationship that exists between technology and citizen journalism.  Traditional media, their functions, challenges, and how they are strategizing to meet the changing trend will then be discussed thoroughly with relevant examples.

DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES

New Media as a wide range of changes in media production, distribution, and use. It can also be seen as the future of communications. Lister (2004)

It can also be defined as the countless array of internet based sharing tools and platforms that increase and enhance the sharing of information.

In Ghana, New Media is seen as the transfer of text, photos, audio, video and information on/with the internet.

Traditional media has been used for years in the forms of advertising, sales promotions, public relations and direct marketing. It encompasses TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, books, and movies. Sparkable (2013)

Citizen Journalism on the other hand is a wide range of activities in which everyday people contribute information or commentary about news events. Singh (2013)

It can also be defined as the state where people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another.

As a group, we see Citizen Journalism as the state where members of the public perform the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information. For example a citizen journalist writes about a town council meeting on a blog, capture eyewitness moments with a digital camera and post to a news site, grab video of something “newsy” and post to YouTube etc.

In other words they [Citizen Journalists] create an augment, or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others.

ARGUMENTS

On the evolution of Citizen Journalism, the subject matter has become more and more popular over the years especially encouraged by the current advances in technology [Web 2.0] and social media.

Some of the advantages of Citizen Journalism includes leading professional journalists to the site of the news, it also has on the spot footage and pictures of the event; pictures that society would never be able to see if it was not for a citizen who took the pictures example is the footage from the Westgate Mall in Kenya. Every bit of news counts (speed) and allows for the uploading of news and information instantaneously.

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube etc. allow for the uploading of any thoughts and news at any time during the day.

News and events can be discussed as soon as it happens on these sites unlike waiting until a story is aired on TV, radio.

On the disadvantages, citizen journalism lack audience, in that is if a news story is published on Facebook and Twitter, audience is limited to your friends, if posted on a blog the audience tends to be a bit greater but would never be as big as a worldwide broadcast on the television or radio.

Citizen journalists just do not have a large enough audience to make a real change in the world.

The difference between a professional and a citizen journalist [amateur] is professionalism and passion. The former knows a lot about the process [journalism,] but not the topic whereas the latter is passionate about the topic, but does not know the process.

Technology has improved greatly since traditional media was first introduced. Now current advances have made it much easier for citizens to become journalists.

Cell phones now come fully prepared for the reporting of accidents and items worth talking about. They have cameras and have social media applications installed on them that makes for editing etc. Thus making it very easy for a citizen to collect and report the news at hand.

Over the years people have subscribed to these media and constantly consumed texts from them.

The major function of the traditional media is to inform, entertain, and also influence the opinions of the audience leaving them with issues to think about. It is these functions that empower it as the fourth estate of the realm.

Due to the rise in the popularity of the internet, traditional media is facing challenges with a decline in advertising revenue as an integral weakness.

The traditional media has become less appealing to the youth since there is immediacy of news stories when it comes to the internet and everyone can be a publisher.

This poses a threat to the traditional media therefore the need to strategize to meet the changing trends.

Some media outlets have already started adapting to the trend. For example, most media houses have websites aimed at encouraging the audience to read, comment and contribute to their content.

Embracing social media leads to the improvement and growth of traditional media outlets, this allows audience to see others’ opinions and suggestions to news and information. TV3 has incorporated stories from citizen journalists into their major news bulletin in a segment dubbed “My News.”

Another example is that, some organizations have realized that YouTube is the fastest growing social media on the World Wide Web. This has encouraged them to post their information directly on the site and afterward view the comments and number of likes and dislikes.

The introduction of tickers by the traditional media has also increased the speed at which news stories are relayed to audience. Of course the use of Whatsapp, Viber and Twitter to elicit information and feedback from audiences cannot be over emphasized in the Ghanaian media today.

Media outlets like Graphic Communications Group [Daily Graphic], Ghanaweb.com and Joy FM have now developed user friendly android applications aside their new websites to take the game to citizen journalists. 

In conclusion, the media shares information with their audience and in turn air their views thus promoting democracy since audiences are allowed to participate and share their views. The quality of citizen journalism has been greatly increased and once used appropriately, will increase the quality of traditional media.

Citizen Journalists are entitled to their own opinions, through the social media; the traditional media will be aware of these opinions and improve to suit their audience.

REFERENCES

Ø  Sparkable (2013). Traditional Media. <http://www.sparkable.com/marketing/traditional-media.php>. (Updated 2013 accessed 19^th October, 2013).

Ø  Lister, M. (2009). New Media: A critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

Ø  Singh K. L. (2011). Citizen Journalism. http://www.slideshare.net/kerrylynn89/citizen-journalism-slides. (Updated 2011 accessed 19th October, 2013) 

 

GROUP MEMBERS

RICHARD KWASI ADJEI AGYAPONG

RICHARD KOFI KOTOKU

PATRICK OFORI NKUM

HARRIET BLESS NDANU

SANDRA FAUSTINA AKLIPKE-OSEI 

                 

HOW THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA IS STRATEGIZING TO MEET THE SOCIAL MEDIA TREND AND THE ACTIVITIES OF CITIZEN JOURNALISTS

INTRODUCTION

The question demands that we present how Citizen Journalists through the use of social media affect the activities of traditional media and how the latter is strategizing to meet the changing trend.

In our presentation, we will define social and traditional media as well as Citizen Journalism. We will then talk about the evolution of Citizen Journalism and also highlight its advantages and disadvantages. 

Our presentation will touch on the difference between professional and citizen journalism and move onto the relationship that exists between technology and citizen journalism.  Traditional media, their functions, challenges, and how they are strategizing to meet the changing trend will then be discussed thoroughly with relevant examples.

DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES

New Media as a wide range of changes in media production, distribution, and use. It can also be seen as the future of communications. Lister (2004)

It can also be defined as the countless array of internet based sharing tools and platforms that increase and enhance the sharing of information.

In Ghana, New Media is seen as the transfer of text, photos, audio, video and information on/with the internet.

Traditional media has been used for years in the forms of advertising, sales promotions, public relations and direct marketing. It encompasses TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, books, and movies. Sparkable (2013)

Citizen Journalism on the other hand is a wide range of activities in which everyday people contribute information or commentary about news events. Singh (2013)

It can also be defined as the state where people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another.

As a group, we see Citizen Journalism as the state where members of the public perform the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information. For example a citizen journalist writes about a town council meeting on a blog, capture eyewitness moments with a digital camera and post to a news site, grab video of something “newsy” and post to YouTube etc.

In other words they [Citizen Journalists] create an augment, or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others.

ARGUMENTS

On the evolution of Citizen Journalism, the subject matter has become more and more popular over the years especially encouraged by the current advances in technology [Web 2.0] and social media.

Some of the advantages of Citizen Journalism includes leading professional journalists to the site of the news, it also has on the spot footage and pictures of the event; pictures that society would never be able to see if it was not for a citizen who took the pictures example is the footage from the Westgate Mall in Kenya. Every bit of news counts (speed) and allows for the uploading of news and information instantaneously.

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube etc. allow for the uploading of any thoughts and news at any time during the day.

News and events can be discussed as soon as it happens on these sites unlike waiting until a story is aired on TV, radio.

On the disadvantages, citizen journalism lack audience, in that is if a news story is published on Facebook and Twitter, audience is limited to your friends, if posted on a blog the audience tends to be a bit greater but would never be as big as a worldwide broadcast on the television or radio.

Citizen journalists just do not have a large enough audience to make a real change in the world.

The difference between a professional and a citizen journalist [amateur] is professionalism and passion. The former knows a lot about the process [journalism,] but not the topic whereas the latter is passionate about the topic, but does not know the process.

Technology has improved greatly since traditional media was first introduced. Now current advances have made it much easier for citizens to become journalists.

Cell phones now come fully prepared for the reporting of accidents and items worth talking about. They have cameras and have social media applications installed on them that makes for editing etc. Thus making it very easy for a citizen to collect and report the news at hand.

Over the years people have subscribed to these media and constantly consumed texts from them.

The major function of the traditional media is to inform, entertain, and also influence the opinions of the audience leaving them with issues to think about. It is these functions that empower it as the fourth estate of the realm.

Due to the rise in the popularity of the internet, traditional media is facing challenges with a decline in advertising revenue as an integral weakness.

The traditional media has become less appealing to the youth since there is immediacy of news stories when it comes to the internet and everyone can be a publisher.

This poses a threat to the traditional media therefore the need to strategize to meet the changing trends.

Some media outlets have already started adapting to the trend. For example, most media houses have websites aimed at encouraging the audience to read, comment and contribute to their content.

Embracing social media leads to the improvement and growth of traditional media outlets, this allows audience to see others’ opinions and suggestions to news and information. TV3 has incorporated stories from citizen journalists into their major news bulletin in a segment dubbed “My News.”

Another example is that, some organizations have realized that YouTube is the fastest growing social media on the World Wide Web. This has encouraged them to post their information directly on the site and afterward view the comments and number of likes and dislikes.

The introduction of tickers by the traditional media has also increased the speed at which news stories are relayed to audience. Of course the use of Whatsapp, Viber and Twitter to elicit information and feedback from audiences cannot be over emphasized in the Ghanaian media today.

Media outlets like Graphic Communications Group [Daily Graphic], Ghanaweb.com and Joy FM have now developed user friendly android applications aside their new websites to take the game to citizen journalists. 

In conclusion, the media shares information with their audience and in turn air their views thus promoting democracy since audiences are allowed to participate and share their views. The quality of citizen journalism has been greatly increased and once used appropriately, will increase the quality of traditional media.

Citizen Journalists are entitled to their own opinions, through the social media; the traditional media will be aware of these opinions and improve to suit their audience.

REFERENCES

Ø  Sparkable (2013). Traditional Media. <http://www.sparkable.com/marketing/traditional-media.php>. (Updated 2013 accessed 19^th October, 2013).

Ø  Lister, M. (2009). New Media: A critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

Ø  Singh K. L. (2011). Citizen Journalism. http://www.slideshare.net/kerrylynn89/citizen-journalism-slides. (Updated 2011 accessed 19th October, 2013) 

 

GROUP MEMBERS

RICHARD KWASI ADJEI AGYAPONG

RICHARD KOFI KOTOKU

PATRICK OFORI NKUM

HARRIET BLESS NDANU

SANDRA FAUSTINA AKLIPKE-OSEI 

                 

AN ACADEMIC VIEW ON FOOD VENDING IN ACCRA

There has been a continuing growth in urbanisation in developing countries, and governments’ face a major challenge in ensuring that city dwellers are able to procure sufficient food. Street foods are sold in almost every country in the world. The FAO (1989) defines street food as any ready-to-consume food that is sold in public places. Tinker (1997) also defines street food as any minimally processed food sold on the street for immediate consumption.

Hausa koko joint at Kotobabi

In most towns and cities in Ghana, selling of snacks and whole meals on the streets is an important way to obtain income, especially among the poor women. Street foods have a long tradition in most countries. The role of this sector in the urbanisation process and the urban economy reflects the way of life and the survival and coping strategies adopted in most African cities.

Rapid urbanisation is breaking down traditional family ties throughout the world and the street food sector is widely understood as an inevitable phenomenon tied to urban growth. This urbanisation and the associated social and structural changes have caused the demand for street food to increase. Longer traveling times between living and working places is likely to lead to further increases in demand.

Accra with a current population of about 3 million is the capital of Ghana and is hampered by an inadequate transportation system linking the sub-urban areas with the commercial and industrial centres where men and women work. Street food accounts for a part of the daily diet and so contributes towards meeting nutritional requirements, although the contribution varies. Urbanisation and migration have changed the patterns of living and eating. The easy availability of foods in the streets of cities and small towns has helped workers cope with long periods of absence from home.

A group of vendors lined at the Nkrumah Circle 

Street foods contribute significantly to food security and nutrition and are physically and economically accessible to most people. It is an activity that provides employment to many, while providing nutritious, inexpensive and tasty food to millions of working women, men, children and students. Unfortunately, the emergence of informal food businesses can cause health problems if the foods are not prepared and handled properly.

Poverty, coupled with rapid urban growth have compelled policymakers, development practitioners and program planners to take another look at food insecurity and malnutrition which hitherto were considered as rural problems. Sustenance in the urban setting is characterised by a dependence on cash incomes, usually earned from the informal sector (Levin et al, 1999).

Lower education, skill levels and childcare responsibilities may force women into the informal sector. Women have an important role in this sector; which draws upon their traditional skills and offers appreciable advantages such as low-start-up capital requirements, the reconciliation of household duties with small-scale trading and the possibility of feeding their families at lower cost (Canet and N’Diaye, 1996).

In Ghana, these women balance their roles as income earners, homemakers and mothers. The share of the food budget spent on processed foods, convenience foods, snacks, and meals available as street foods has increased due to the need for women to save time in food preparation. Ghanaian women play a crucial role in the economy, controlling a large share of market activity and commodity trading. One of the fascinating aspects of urban social life in

Ghana is the widespread presence of street food vendors. Operating from all strategic locations at all hours of day and night, they serve customers with spicy foods, colourful beverages at reasonable and affordable prices.

Long hours of commuting leave little time to cook, which contributes to the huge demand for inexpensive, convenient food near schools and work places. In Ghana the ability of street foods to satisfy unique taste and convenience requirements as well as meet the socio-economic needs of majority of urban dwellers has led to the rapid growth of the sector, and the gaining of some kind of recognition from the governing authorities. In Ghana, national and municipal administrators regulate the street food sector in the cities. These controls take various forms.

Some earlier studies on street food vending in Ghana have taken place. The FAO and WHO have funded these. Unfortunately, the studies did not include potential food safety concerns such as the presence of heavy metals, pesticide residues and the presence of mycotoxins. The studies did not also examine the contribution of these informal micro-enterprises to the Ghanaian economy.

The DFID/NRI/FRI project on improved street-vended foods was a one-year exploratory study aimed at assessing the safety and quality of food sold in Accra as well as estimates the contribution of this sector to the national economy of Ghana. The project complemented previous work carried on the sector by other workers.

This workshop was therefore organized to present findings and identifies new areas where further knowledge is required. As part of this dissemination, key stakeholders of the street-food vending business in Ghana made short presentations on the status of the foods sold in Accra. These short presentations are also included in this report.

AN ACADEMIC VIEW ON FOOD VENDING IN ACCRA

There has been a continuing growth in urbanisation in developing countries, and governments’ face a major challenge in ensuring that city dwellers are able to procure sufficient food. Street foods are sold in almost every country in the world. The FAO (1989) defines street food as any ready-to-consume food that is sold in public places. Tinker (1997) also defines street food as any minimally processed food sold on the street for immediate consumption.

In most towns and cities in Ghana, selling of snacks and whole meals on the streets is an important way to obtain income, especially among the poor women. Street foods have a long tradition in most countries. The role of this sector in the urbanisation process and the urban economy reflects the way of life and the survival and coping strategies adopted in most African cities.

Rapid urbanisation is breaking down traditional family ties throughout the world and the street food sector is widely understood as an inevitable phenomenon tied to urban growth. This urbanisation and the associated social and structural changes have caused the demand for street food to increase. Longer traveling times between living and working places is likely to lead to further increases in demand.

Accra with a current population of about 3 million is the capital of Ghana and is hampered by an inadequate transportation system linking the sub-urban areas with the commercial and industrial centres where men and women work. Street food accounts for a part of the daily diet and so contributes towards meeting nutritional requirements, although the contribution varies. Urbanisation and migration have changed the patterns of living and eating. The easy availability of foods in the streets of cities and small towns has helped workers cope with long periods of absence from home.

Street foods contribute significantly to food security and nutrition and are physically and economically accessible to most people. It is an activity that provides employment to many, while providing nutritious, inexpensive and tasty food to millions of working women, men, children and students. Unfortunately, the emergence of informal food businesses can cause health problems if the foods are not prepared and handled properly.

Poverty, coupled with rapid urban growth have compelled policymakers, development practitioners and program planners to take another look at food insecurity and malnutrition which hitherto were considered as rural problems. Sustenance in the urban setting is characterised by a dependence on cash incomes, usually earned from the informal sector (Levin et al, 1999).

Lower education, skill levels and childcare responsibilities may force women into the informal sector. Women have an important role in this sector; which draws upon their traditional skills and offers appreciable advantages such as low-start-up capital requirements, the reconciliation of household duties with small-scale trading and the possibility of feeding their families at lower cost (Canet and N’Diaye, 1996).

In Ghana, these women balance their roles as income earners, homemakers and mothers. The share of the food budget spent on processed foods, convenience foods, snacks, and meals available as street foods has increased due to the need for women to save time in food preparation. Ghanaian women play a crucial role in the economy, controlling a large share of market activity and commodity trading. One of the fascinating aspects of urban social life in

Ghana is the widespread presence of street food vendors. Operating from all strategic locations at all hours of day and night, they serve customers with spicy foods, colourful beverages at reasonable and affordable prices.

Long hours of commuting leave little time to cook, which contributes to the huge demand for inexpensive, convenient food near schools and work places. In Ghana the ability of street foods to satisfy unique taste and convenience requirements as well as meet the socio-economic needs of majority of urban dwellers has led to the rapid growth of the sector, and the gaining of some kind of recognition from the governing authorities. In Ghana, national and municipal administrators regulate the street food sector in the cities. These controls take various forms.

Some earlier studies on street food vending in Ghana have taken place. The FAO and WHO have funded these. Unfortunately, the studies did not include potential food safety concerns such as the presence of heavy metals, pesticide residues and the presence of mycotoxins. The studies did not also examine the contribution of these informal micro-enterprises to the Ghanaian economy.

The DFID/NRI/FRI project on improved street-vended foods was a one-year exploratory study aimed at assessing the safety and quality of food sold in Accra as well as estimates the contribution of this sector to the national economy of Ghana. The project complemented previous work carried on the sector by other workers.

This workshop was therefore organized to present findings and identifies new areas where further knowledge is required. As part of this dissemination, key stakeholders of the street-food vending business in Ghana made short presentations on the status of the foods sold in Accra. These short presentations are also included in this report.

ACCRA’S FOOD JOINTS AND WHY PEOPLE PATRONISE THEM

Many years before Ghana’s independence [on March, 6, 1957,] the country had a relative smaller population whose people lived in societies that operated under mechanical solidarity. This means that ancient Ghanaian societies shared similar cultural backgrounds, language etc. Also, the learned social behaviour among societies seemed same. According to folklores, Ghana used to be an agricultural society where most citizens were farmers. These ancient folks shared their farm produce among themselves after trading and this, according to the tales, facilitated the practise of cooking at home. Buying food from the streets was not quite popular as it seems today.

One of the food spots patronize by some students and workers 

After Ghana’s capital was transferred from Cape Coast to Accra in 1888 by the country’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, capital became the economic and industrial hub of the newly born African state. This caused a rapid increase in rural-urban migration and the influx of foreign nationals and conglomerates. Gradually, the city became a cosmopolitan society and the trend has continuously changed tremendously over years. Accra which had a relatively smaller food “joints” [food vending spots and parlours] or none at all in certain areas now has so many that, they have even evolved over the years to the extent to that we have mobile food vendors [they move from one place to the other in vans].

Some of the patrons enjoying their meals

Most people in Accra today between the hours of 6 A.M. [06:00GMT] to 6 P.M. [18:00 GMT] and beyond buy food from vendors at vantage places. This has become necessary since the economic and social demands of the city do not afford one the opportunity to cook at home before going to their various work places, school etc. Most city dwellers leave their homes for either work or school as early as 5 A.M. because of the heavy vehicular traffic that comes to life at 6:30 A.M. in the city. Surprisingly people live in the Eastern and Central Regions of the country yet they work in Accra, they are forced to live for work early because of the distance and traffic, also the rail networks in the city in not developed.

When this writer visited some food vending spots, restaurants and some mobile food vans, it became evident that patrons of these food spots have various and different reasons for their patronage.

The reasons given by these patrons who are made up of a particular group, class, age, with different income levels and educational backgrounds varied from one person to the other.

Some of the food sold at the joints

It must be noted that in Accra, patrons who in marketing terms are known as true friends do not mind, taking a taxi cab from one area to the other  or to their favourite spot just to buy food.

This blog sampled five (5) students, pupils, elite workers, traders and construction workers each to elicit the reasons why they patronize one food vending spot or the other.  

Some students getting ready to eat

Of these groups, the interpretations of views sampled from students revealed that the groups choose food spots based on their disposable income [this was particularly so among male students] whereas female students paid particular attention to environment in which the food is prepared and sold plus their income.

“I buy from vendors because I have little or no time to cook at all, my schedule is so packed that I get home late and leave early...the vendors help me a lot,” a worker disclosed.

“Though I have little to spend on food, I pay particular attention to the environment, a student at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) disclosed.

The sample also showed that workers buy from the vendors because of the number of hours allocated for lunch break; also, their schedules do not afford them the opportunity to even cook or consider bringing food from the house. Some construction workers noted that they buy heavy breakfast like banku [a delicacy made from maize] and so they have particular places they buy from since they are mostly bachelors and do not know how to cook. The sample showed that pupils were the group that took food from their homes to school however, majority of them still patronize food from vendors either because their parents could not afford to cook or there was no time for that at all.

Below is a video of what ensues at a typical food spot patronized by both students and workers.

                  Below is a graph representation of the groups and where they buy from