Impact of Smartphones on News Gathering and Reporting by Journalists in Kwara State
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Social & Digital Media Discourse
Abstract
The advent of the new information and communication technologies (ICT) brought new innovations to the
media industry worldwide. The development of the ICT revolutinalised the practice of journalism with the
introduction of new tools, which have not only enhanced the outputs of professional journalists but also
altered the practices of journalism all over the world. The role of the ICT, especially smartphones and the
Internet, cannot be overemphasised as they serve pivotal functions in changing and altering the practices of
journalism. This study examined the impact of smartphones on news gathering and reporting among
journalists in Kwara State, using survey questionnaire as research tool. Census sampling method was
employed to seek information from 148 registered working journalists in Kwara State of Nigeria. The
results showed that smartphone was popularly being used by majority of journalists in Kwara State for
their professional activities and that the device has greatly enhanced their performances. The study
recommended that media houses should provide journalists with multifunctional smartphones and facilitate
adequate training on the optimum usage of such new gadgets for improved performances.
Description
Keywords
ICT, smartphones, journalism practices, impact, journalists