Social Media as Sources of News for Nigerian Broadcast Media
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Date
2020-06
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Publisher
Kwararafa University, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria
Abstract
The advent of Internet and social media has spurred research interest in broadcast media in particular and the media ecology in general. However, most of these studies centre on use of social media with emphasis on how users including broadcast journalists deploy social media for certain purposes. An aspect understudied is how social media constitute sources of news for broadcast media especially in Nigeria thereby creating a geographical gap. On account of this, a study was undertaken with the objective of providing insights into how broadcast journalists rely on social media as sources of news which they reproduce and broadcast. Anchored on source credibility theory, the study argues that Internet and social media have widened the dimensions of mass media use as journalists no longer source news only from common sources like officials, organisations, institutions, events and natural phenomenon, but also from social media platforms. The study concludes that the imperative of social media in media ecology with their attendant shortcomings is indubitable. The study recommends among other things the need for broadcast journalists to upscale their training to be able to grapple with technological challenges confronting them while discharging their duties in the new technological media environment.
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Keywords
broadcast media, credibility, multi-skilling, social media, sources