CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT), particularly the Internet has

changed the way news organization gather, process, distribute and sell news. Media revenue is

dwindling, and readership habit is changing as media consumers switch to the Internet for free

news (Salman, Ibrahim, Yusof, Mustaffa and Mahbob, 2011). Similarly, Kirchhoff (2009)

asserts that major media organizations have laid off staff, imposed pay reduction and cut down

their operation time or turned to web publication. However, media organizations have to be at

par with latest development in the ICT sector. In light of this, Griessner (2012) submitted that it

seems crucial that media firms engage with these new forms of communication in order to stay

competitive and follow an old rule: to be where your consumers are. Furthermore, Griessner

argues that, but while this looks like a tough task for media outlets like newspapers or

broadcasting companies, for news agencies it could prove even more difficult, especially if they

mainly rely on a business-to-business model. The explosion of new technologies creates new

tools and new opportunities for the reinvention of old structures supporting civil society,

activism, fight for or against beliefs, ideals, or even fundamentalisms (Staiculescu and Nadrag,

n.d). Oyero (2007), believe that the various adjuncts of the internet have brought much

interactivity and dynamism to the practice of mass communication. The Internet or the new

media is the media for the new age. Media organization has no choice but to key in into this

information super-highway. Online publications are emerging today and this may have affected

the way consumers consume news contents and by extension the sales and distribution of news

by news agencies. Most news consumers tend to use Internet-enabled device to access news

contents online. This phenomenon is not limited to individuals alone. Media organizations may

also engage in sourcing for news material on the internet. Edeh, (2014) buttressed this point

when she posited that majority of the middle class have access to the new media, and they can
1
easily read up news on their smart phones free of charge. Why should they buy newspapers, for

instance?

With regards to broadcast media, the trend is the same. Most broadcast organizations stream

their programme on the Internet. The improvement in technology has even made it possible for

some broadcast media organization to develop smart mobile applications for disseminating

news. Onyekwere, (2009) is of the view that advancement in new media technologies has cut

across the barrier of time and space in the broadcast industry. Putting this assertion in

perspective, Defleur and Dennis posits that:

Technology has always been a metaphor for change in media

industry. As far back as Gutenberg, it was technology: the movable
type that spurred change. Later, fast printing presses, the telegraph,
zinc engraving, modern photography, radio, television, fibre optics,
and other technologies heralded new developments for media and
their audience (1991, p.229).

Furthermore, Onyekwere opined that the new media have information processing, delivery,

storage, and retrieval easier. This argument may be in consonance with Marshall McLuhan

pronunciation of the world as a “global village”. The concept of global village assumes that

“communication technology” now work like the nervous system in the human family. Messages

could be sent and received with surprising speed. This therefore has shrunk the world into a

smaller place not because of a contraction in landmass, but due to the marvels in

communication technologies.

Baran, (2009) puts it clearer when he cited McLuhan:

The media permit us to experience the world with a scope and

depth otherwise impossible. Media, then, are extension of our
bodies. Just as clothes are an extension of our skin, permitting us
to wander farther from our warm caves into the cold world; just
as the automobile is an extension of our feet, enabling us to
travel farther we could ever walk; television extends our vision
and hearing, and computers extend our central nervous system.
With television we can see and hear around the world, beyond
the galaxy, into the future, and into the past. Computers process,
sort, categorize, reconfigure, and clarify (p.314).
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Despite the potentials of the new media technology, there seem to be a shortcoming as it

affects news gathering and selling as it concerns the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Media organizations, especially print media organization which are supposed to

subscribe to NAN may have other means of sourcing for news contents. This

development may be consequently affecting its existence as well as the resources of the

agency.

1.2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The news media have helped in the global democratization of information. This study will

investigate the influence of new media technologies on News Agencies, with a specific interest

in the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Scholars have researched on the effects of new media

on main stream traditional media (Edeh, 2014; Ekeng, 2010; Kirchhoff, 2009; Oyero, n.d;

Onyekwere, 2009; Popoola, 2010 and Salman et al, 2011). However, interests have not been

given to the influence of new media technologies on news agencies, particularly in Nigeria,

hence the drive to carry out this study. The scope of study in this knowledge domain has always

been the study of traditional media of radio, television, newspapers and magazines. It is

pertinent to point out the relevance of news agencies in the news distribution chain. News

agencies are the traditional distributors of news. Their impact in news gathering, distribution

and sales cannot be underestimated. It is assumed that they are supposed to be at the fore front

of news gathering and subsequently, sales.

With the proliferation of new media technologies, it is important to explore the impact of these

technologies on the activities of News Agency of Nigeria.

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 1.3. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The media landscape has witnessed huge transformation due to the emergence of new media

technologies such as smart phones, tablets, IPhone, Facebook, WhatsApp, twitter, emails, blogs

etc. Media outlets now employ these modern means of news gathering and dissemination in

their day to day duties. Regarding this study, its primary aim and objective is to investigate to

what extent the new media has influenced the revenue of News Agency of Nigeria.

Also, the researcher formulated three secondary objectives that will further drive and guide the

study. They include:

 To investigate News Agency of Nigeria use of the new media.

 To explore the benefits of the new media to NAN

 To ascertain the challenges of using the new media by NAN

1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To achieve the study objectives, the researcher raised the following research questions:

 To what extent does the News Agency of Nigeria use the new media?

 What are the benefits of using the new media to the News Agency of Nigeria?

 What are the challenges NAN encounters since the emergence of the new media?

1.5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research focuses on the social media and its effects on News Agencies with a specific

focus on News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Furthermore, the research is delimited to News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

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1.6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In the twenty first century, social media has been the rave of the moment. The use of social

media cut across various industries: academia, corporate organizations, personal life etc. It is no

doubt the social media has fostered the growth of diverse industries. Primarily, this study will

contribute to the existing literature on the use of social media in news gathering and

dissemination. Also, discoveries from this study will be vital to policy makers and

organizations. The News Agency of Nigeria will benefit immensely from the findings of this

study. The study may enable the NAN to further structure its operations to suit the workings of

the social media.

Professionally, journalists will also benefit from the discoveries of this study. The social media

is a vital part of news gathering and dissemination. The instantaneous nature of the social media

is a feature that drives news operation. Similarly, other news organizations will benefit from the

study. Finally, this research will either dispute or reinforce the notion that the social media is an

essential tool in news gathering and dissemination.

1.7. LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH

There is no much reference materials for this study, especially in Nigeria as there are limited

work done in this domain. The time factor is another limitation, and the fund required to travel

for gathering of data beyond Abuja, and NAN headquarters. However, some of these

limitations, especially those that arose as a result of distance were resolved by the use of social

media. For example, the qualitative interview questions were sent to four of the interviewees,

who responded through WhatsApp and emails.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses key concepts, theoretical underpinning and empirical reviews that would

guide and predict the research. The conceptual clarification includes: new media,

traditional/conventional media, news agency, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Two theoretical

frameworks were adopted for the study. They are the Technology Determinism theory and

Diffusion of Innovation theory. This chapter starts by clarifying key concepts, conceptual

clarification, as it concerns this study. This will provide a better understanding and direction for

the study.

2.2. THE NEW MEDIA

It is pertinent to point out that media scholars are in the habit of utilizing the new media and

social media interchangeably. The same will apply for the purpose of this study.

To better understand the difference between mass media and new media requires a concrete

definition of the two terms in their current meaning. The new media are a combination resulting

from the growing need for information and free expression of opinions, be they political, social

or cultural, and technological developments. Mass-media can be defined as "ways of

communication that involve transmitting information in a certain way, or some form to a large

number of people" (Livesely, 2011) or as defined in the Explanatory Dictionary of the

Romanian language, but also in other dictionaries and encyclopedias: totality of technological

means of mass communication of information (television, press, radio, Internet, cinema, etc.).

According to these definitions, new media are, indeed, part of mass media. It could be

classified as a branch of this area, but as will be shown, new media are different from traditional

media, primarily by being a combination of the two dominant communication media until a
6
 decade ago: interpersonal medium (one-to-one) and mass communication (one-to- many)

(Crosbie, 2002). A conclusive example of this is e-mail, which can transmit personal

information from individual to individual, or send the same message of global concern to

hundreds, thousands or millions of people (e.g. the famous "spam" type of e-mail from various

chain stores which invite you to access their bids).

Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing

techniques. Social media use web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media

monologues into social dialogues. They support the democratization of knowledge and

information and transform people from content consumers to content producers (Idakwo, 2013;

Kietzmann,Hermkens, McCarthy and Silvestre, 2011). Social media is participatory and open,

thus allowing for the emergence of media communities with high connectedness to other sites.

Mayfield (2008) enumerated the various forms of social media to include the following:

 Blogs – which are on-line journals with entries appearing with the most recent first.

 Wikis – which are sites that allow people to add content to or edit the information on them,

acting as a communal document or database. Examples, Wikipedia, online encyclopedia, etc.

 Podcasts – they are audio and video files that are available by subscription. Example, Apple

iTunes.

 Forums – they are sites for online discussion on shared interests and topics.

 Content Communities – they are sites which persons of common interests share particular kinds

of content. Most content communities are formed around photos and videos. Examples, flicker,

YouTube

 Microblogging– which are networking sites that are combined with blogging, where small

amounts of content are distributed among users. Example, Twitter.

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) defined social media as a group of internet-based applications that

build on the ideological and technological foundations of web 2.0 and that allow the creation

and exchange of user-generated content. Adaja and Ayodele (2013, p.65) submitted that “one of
7
the breakthroughs in information and communication technology in the 21st century was the

discovery and emergence of the new media which have facilitated the creation of the different

platforms for social interaction”. Kaplan and Haenlein (2012) consider it to be made up of:

collaborative projects such as Wikipedia, blogs and micro-blogs (e.g. Twitter), content

communities (e.g. YouTube), social networking sites (eg. Facebook), virtual game worlds

(eg.World of Warcraft), and virtual social worlds (e.g. Second Life).

Indongesit (2014) affirms that Social media are elements of the new media and have become the

highest activity on the internet in present times. Through its logic of convergence (Burgess,

2017), social media brings with it entanglements between commercial, public and personal

contexts. Hasan& Pfaff cited in Ekwenchi and Udenze (2014, p.1) productively catalogued the

new media as including websites, audio and video streaming, chat rooms, e-mail, online

communities, web advertising, DVD and CD-ROM media, virtual reality environment, Internet

telephony, digital cameras and mobile computing. Similarly, Agboola (2014) submitted that

New media is essentially a cyber-culture with modern computer technology, digital data

controlled by software and the latest fast developing communication technology. Most

technologies described as “new media” are digital, and often have characteristics of being

networkable, dense, compressible, interactive and impartial. Furthermore, Agboola asserts that

Internet blogs, news portals and online news, Facebook, You Tube, podcast and webcast, and

even the short messaging system (SMS), are all new media.

2.3. THE INTERNET: A PLATFORM FOR FREE NEWS

In a report by the Pew Research Centre (2012), it was highlighted that in the digital era, news

has become omnipresent. Americans access it in multiple formats on multiple platforms on

myriad devices. The days of loyalty to a particular news organization on a particular piece of

technology in a particular form are gone. The overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) use

multiple platforms to get news on a typical day, including national TV, local TV, the internet,
8
local newspapers, radio, and national newspapers. Some 46% of Americans say they get news

from four to six media platforms on a typical day. Just 7% get their news from a single media

platform on a typical day.

The internet is at the center of the story of how people’s relationship to news is changing. Six in

ten Americans (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical

day, and the internet is now the third most popular news platform, behind local television news

and national television news.

The process Americans use to get news is based on foraging and opportunism. They seem to

access news when the spirit moves them or they have a chance to check up on headlines. At the

same time, gathering the news is not entirely an open-ended exploration for consumers, even

online where there are limitless possibilities for exploring news. While online, most people say

they use between two and five online news sources and 65% say they do not have a single

favorite website for news. Some 21% say they routinely rely on just one site for their news and

information (Pew Research Centre, 2012).

In this new multi-platform media environment, people’s relationship to news is becoming

portable, where 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones; personalized,

where 28% of internet users have customized their home page to include news from sources and

on topics that particularly interest them, and participatory, where 37% of internet users have

contributed to the creation of news, commented about it, or disseminated it via postings on

social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

As a result of the advent of the Internet, people’s experience of news, especially on the internet,

is becoming a shared social experience as people swap links in emails, post news stories on their

social networking site feeds, highlight news stories in their Tweets, and haggle over the

meaning of events in discussion threads. For instance, more than 8 in 10 online news consumers

get or share links in emails. The rise of the internet as a news platform has been an integral part

of these changes.
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2.4. THE DECLINE IN CONVENTIONAL MEDIA

Media researchers have commended the role of Web 2.0 which has become a new media mass

led by individuals zapping information from Diggs to tweets from their homes or on the street.

Media houses from newspapers to TV stations are struggling to compete and stay relevant, as

the reader can opt to be informed by Facebook status feeds or by following tweets on Twitter or

RSS feeds on whatever they fancy (Silicon Republic Knowledge and Events Management Ltd,

2009).

According to Agboola (2014, p.109), ‘across the world, amidst a major economic recession,

newspapers and TV stations are being hit by declining ad revenues, with some organizations

blaming this on the rise of the internet. Venerable titles such as the Rocky Mountain News have

shut down, while the Boston Globe is said to be losing US$1bn a week’. Other newspapers are

viewing the move to internet-only publishing as their key to survival, as it cuts out overheads

such as printing costs. But van Doorn as cited in Agboola (2014) dismisses talk of the internet

contributing to newspapers’ decline and says the wider economic issues, such as the collapse of

banking and property industries, are what are really taking the toll. “You can say the same for a

number of industries. Newspapers are suffering the same fate as a lot of other industries. You

shouldn’t confuse the economic depression with the rise of Web 2.0.”

In terms of the media’s ability to make money from advertising, van Doorn says that the history

of advertising is studded by shifts. “Once, most of it was on the streets on posters because that’s

where the people were, then it was newsprint, then TV and radio, and logically, because it

shifts, there’s a decrease in one or other media. Where people will be spending more and more

of their lives will be the digital space. “There is no real business case to make for a newspaper

that is not in the digital space.” (Agboola, 2014, p.110).Van Doorn declares that there’s a case

for both print and online. If you can do something online with a lower cost level and you can

make an income, great.

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But the real question is what people will want to consume and how. Maybe they will be willing

to pay more for a physical book or magazine than for an electronic version. Uche Nworah

(2005) expatiates that at the heart of the issue of the Internet providing the Nigerian media with

a wider audience, is also the problem of reduced cover price revenues and advertisements. The

latter being closely linked to each other. Nigerians popularized the FAN (free readers

association of Nigeria) concept, a term and acronym used to refer to the practice of locals

congregating around newspaper vendors’ tables to read newspapers and magazines for free

without actually buying any, probably a reflection of the socio-economic circumstances and

intellectual awareness of the people that indulge in such activities (the FANatics). It may seem

now that such practices have now been elevated and taken to another level with the advent of

the internet, since the free readers or punters now only need to log on and then freely read any

newspaper or magazine of their choice, this obviously will have a huge impact on revenues as

less hard copies will be bought.

2.5. A LOOK AT NEWS AGENCIES

Usman, Isa, Inuwa and Sale (2016, p.9) posit that “news agency is also called press agency,

press association wire service are organizations that gathers writers and distributes news from

around the nation or the world to newspapers, periodicals, radio and television broadcasters,

government agencies, and other users”. The innovative idea of news service was derived from

pigeon courier between two cities for multipurpose objectives. Usman et al, believe that news

agencies do not necessarily publish news, but they supply news to subscribers. All the mass

media depends upon the agencies for bulk of news, even including those few that have

extensive news gathering resources of their own. The services of news agencies have grown to

include news interpretation, special columns; news photographs audiotape recordings for radio

broad cast and often videotape or motion picture film for television news report (Usman et al,

2016).
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 There are various forms of new agencies. Some are international, regional, national and even

religious news agencies. The international news agencies otherwise called the big 5 gather and

distribute to subscribers all over the globe. They have sophisticated equipment, and their

correspondents may be found in nooks and crannies of the world. Some of the international

news agencies are highlighted and further discussed below.

2.6. INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWS AGENCIES

Imagine a world without communication! It would, unarguably, be like a jungle, but there is life

with free flow of information across the globe. Among other things, there will be cross-

fertilization of ideas, knowledge, and new discoveries.

With just a click on the internet, one is kept abreast of unfolding events around the world. There
are vehicles through which the information is transmitted to people around the world, hence the
popular saying that the world is a global village. Though, there are several outlets through
which information can be transmitted from one end to the other, the most visible and credible
sources are the new agencies-be it International, National or regional. So, within a considerable
short time, we shall discuss some of the most prominent news agencies, which include:

 Associated Press (AP) it is the United States of American.

 Reuter News Agency is in Britain.

 Agence France Presse (AFP).

 United Press International (UPI).

 Inter Press Service (IPS).

Some of the regional news agencies as enumerated by Usman et al, (2016) are:

 Pan African News Agency (PANA)

 Middle East News Agency.

 Caribbean News Agency.

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 In addition to the regional new agencies, some national news agencies in some countries include

the following:

 Ghana News Agency

 . Sierra Leone News Agency

 South Africa Press Association

 News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

2.6.1. Associated Press (AP)

The establishment of the Associated Press (AP) is dated back to May 1846. AP is an American

non-profit news agency, which has its headquarters in New York City, United States of

America. The move was initiated by five daily newspapers, with a sole aim of sharing the cost

of transmitting news of the Mexican-American War. It was structured to be a venture, which

was organized by Moses Yale Beach (1800–68), who was the second publisher of The Sun

Newspaper. The Sun was joined by the New York Herald, the New York Courier and

Enquirer, The Journal of Commerce, and the New York Evening Express. The agency, which

was initially known as the New York Associated Press (NYAP), was faced with stiff

competition from the Western Associated Press (1862), which criticized its monopolistic news

gathering and price setting practices. In 1892, a thorough investigation was launched into this

allegation by Victor Lawson, who was the editor and publisher of the Chicago Daily News. The

investigation revealed that several senior members of the NYAP had entered into a secret

agreement with United Press, a rival new agency, to share NYAP news and the profits of

reselling it. The revelations led to the demise of the NYAP. In December 1892, the Western

Associated Press was incorporated in Illinois as the Associated Press. A 1900 Illinois Supreme

Court decision (Inter Ocean Publishing Co. v. Associated Press)—that the AP was a public

utility and operating in restraint of trade—resulted in AP's move from Chicago to New York

13
City, where corporation laws were more favorable to cooperatives

(https://www.britannica.com/topic/press association).

When the AP was founded, news became a saleable commodity. The invention of the rotary

press allowed the New-York Tribune in the 1870s to print 18,000 papers per hour. During the

Civil War and Spanish–American War, there was a new incentive to print vivid, on-the-spot

reporting. Melville Stone, who had founded the Chicago Daily News in 1875, served as AP

General Manager from 1893 to 1921. He encouraged standards of accuracy, impartiality, and

integrity. Under the leadership of Kent Cooper, who served between 1925 and 1948, the

cooperative grew rapidly. He built up bureau staff in South America, Europe and in the Middle

East after the World War II. Kent Cooper also introduced the "telegraph typewriter" or

teletypewriter into newsrooms in 1914. Most importantly, AP launched the Wire photo network

in 1935, and this allowed immediate transmission of news photographs over leased private

telephone lines on the same day the pictures were taken. These new innovations gave AP a

major advantage over other news media outlets. The AP commenced its first network, which

was only between New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. this eventually grew, and it extended

its network across the whole United States.

There was another court case in 1945 involving in Associated Press v. United States. In this

case, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the AP had been violating the Sherman

Antitrust Act by prohibiting member newspapers from selling or providing news to non-

member organizations. It also held that the AP was making it very difficult for non-member

newspapers to join the AP. The decision of the Supreme Court helped the growth of its main

rival, United Press International, which was headed by Hugh Baillie from between 1935 and

1955.

The AP went into the broadcast sector in 1941 when it started distributing news to radio

stations. Precisely in 1974, the AP created its own radio network, while in 1994, it established

14
APTV. The APTV instantly became a global video newsgathering agency. However, in 1998,

the APTV merged with WorldWide Television News to form APTN. The APTN provides

video to international broadcasters and websites. In 2004, AP moved its world headquarters

from its longtime home at 50 Rockefeller Plaza to 450 West 33rd Street in Manhattan. This

plaza also housed the New York Daily News and the studios of New York's public television

station, WNET. In 2019, AP had more than 240 bureaus globally. Its mission is to gather with

economy and efficiency an accurate and impartial report of the news. This mission has not

changed since its inception, but the digital technology has made the distribution of the AP news

report an interactive endeavour between AP and its 1,400 U.S. newspaper members,

broadcasters, international subscribers, and online customers.

As the world itself is becoming a global village, the AP started diversifying its news gathering

and disseminating across the globe, and also continue to increase its capabilities. By 2007, the

agency was already generating only about 30% of its revenue from United States newspapers;

37% from the global broadcast customers, 15% from online ventures and 18% from

international newspapers and from photography (https://www.britannica.com/topic/press

association)

The AP keyed into the fast-growing social media technology through its multi-topic structure.

This has resulted in web portals such as Yahoo and MSN posting its articles. Yahoo and MSN

most often rely on the AP as their first source for news coverage for breaking news. This and

the constant updating evolving stories require has had a major impact on the AP's public image

and role, giving new credence to the AP's ongoing mission of having staff for covering every

area of news fully and promptly. The AP was also the news service used on the Wii's News

Channel. In 2007, Google announced that it was paying to receive Associated Press content, to

be displayed on Google News, though this was interrupted from late 2009 to mid-2010, due to a

licensing dispute.

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2.6.2. Reuters News Agency

Reuters is an international news organisation owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around

2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of

the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was established in London in 1851 by the

German-born Paul Reuter. It was acquired by the Thomson Corporation in 2008 and now makes

up the media division of Thomson Reuter (https://www.britannica.com).

At its inception, the concerned of Reuters was commercial news service. At that time, Reuters

was serving banks, brokerage houses, and leading business firms. As the news agency continue

to expand, its first newspaper client, the London Morning Advertiser, subscribed in 1858. The

importance of Reuters to media organizations, especially newspapers is in the prompt financial

news it provided, and its ability to be the first to report on stories of international importance.

This endeared Reuters to newspapers and broadcast organization. A good example is in 1865

when the agency was the first to break the news of the assassination of U.S. Pres. Abraham

Lincoln, hours before its competitors.

Reuters saw the possibilities and seized the opportunities provided be telegraph for news

reporting and as a result, use it to build up an organization that maintained correspondents

throughout the world. However, in 1925, the Press Association (PA) acquired a majority interest

in Reuters. The Press Association, an organization representing the provincial press of Great

Britain, acquired the full ownership of Reuters some years later. But half of Reuters was later

sold to the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, representing Britain’s national press in 1941.

Going further, the co-ownership of Reuters was extended to associations representing the daily

newspapers of Australia and New Zealand in 1947. As at today, Reuters had become one of the

major news agencies in the world, supplying both text and images to newspapers, other news

agencies, radio and television across the globe. It provided service to most countries, either

directly or through other national news agencies, reaching virtually all the world’s leading

16
newspapers and many thousands of smaller ones (https://www.reuters.com),

(https://www.worlddecencyclopedia.org).

In the 1960s Reuters became one of the first news agencies to use computers to transmit

financial data overseas, and in 1973 it began making computer-terminal displays of foreign-

exchange rates available to clients. The agency subsequently afforded the capacity to make

electronic transactions over its network (1981) and went on to develop a wide array of

electronic trading and brokerage services. In 1984 Reuters became a publicly listed company on

the London Stock Exchange (LSE). In 2008 it merged with Canadian electronic

publisher Thomson Corporation to form Thomson Reuters, though in its reporting capacity the

company was still commonly referred to as Reuters. The unified company withdrew from both

the LSE in 2009 and became listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock

Exchange. In addition to maintaining its traditional news-agency business, Thomson Reuters is

now a major provider of financial information, both historical and current, to businesses,

governments, and individuals worldwide. (https://www.thomsonreuters.com), (https://

www.britannica.com/topic/new-york-stock-exchange),

2.6.3. Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the world's oldest news agency and one of the world's top three,

behind the United Kingdom's Reuters and The Associated Press of the United States. Unlike its

publicly traded rivals, AFP remains largely controlled by the French government, along with a

number of its top media clients. In this capacity, AFP's operations are restricted by a series of

requirements first legislated in 1957, such as precluding opening the company's shares to private

investors and a requirement that AFP present a balanced budget for each year. These two

restrictions, in particular, have limited AFP's ability to raise the capital needed to invest in new

17
products and outlets, including the Internet, and to compete head-to-head with its wealthier

rivals (www.referenceforbusiness.com/history/Agence-France-Presse.html).

It is an international news agency with headquarter in Paris, France. The agency was Founded

in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas, as Agence Havas. It has regional headquarters in Hong Kong,

Nicosia, Montevideo and Washington, D.C. It also has news bureaus in 151 countries and 201

locations. The agency transmits stories, photos, videos, and graphic in major global languages,

which include: French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and German. The AFP pioneered

the collection and dissemination of news as a commodity. Two of its employees, which were

employees by the founder, Charles-Louis Havas, Paul Julius Reuter and Bernhard Wolff, later

set up their own news agencies in London and Berlin respectively.

In 1940, when German forces occupied France during World War II, the news agency was taken

over by the authorities and renamed "Office français d'information" (French Information

Office); only the private advertising company retained the name Havas. On 20 August 1944,

as Allied forces moved on Paris, a group of journalists in the French Resistance seized the

offices of the FIO and issued the first news dispatch from the liberated city under the name of

Agence France-Presse (

https://www.afp..gov).

Established as a state enterprise, AFP devoted the post-war years to developing its network of

international correspondents. One of them was the first Western journalist to report the death of

the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin on 6 March 1953. AFP was keen to shake off its semi-official

status, and on 10 January 1957, the French Parliament passed a law establishing its

independence. Since that date, the proportion of the agency's revenues generated by

subscriptions from government departments has steadily declined. Such subscriptions

represented 115 million Euros in 2011.

18
 In 1982, the agency began to decentralize its editorial decision-making by setting up the first of

its five autonomous regional centres, in Hong Kong, then a British dependent territory. Each

region has its own budget, administrative director and chief editor. In September 2007, the AFP

Foundation was launched to promote higher standards of journalism worldwide. In 1991, AFP

set up a joint venture with Extel to create a financial news service, AFX News. It was sold in

2006 to Thomson Financial.

In October 2008, the Government of France announced moves to change AFP's status,

including the involvement of outside investors. On 27 November of that year, the main trade

unions represented in the company's home base of France – the CGT, Force Ouvrière, Syndicat

national des journalistes, Union syndicale des journalistes CFDT and SUD, launched an online

petition to oppose what they saw as an attempt to privatise the agency. (https://afpglobal.org).

On 10 December 2009, the French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand announced that he was

setting up a Committee of Experts under former AFP CEO Henri Pigeat to study plans for the

agency's future status. On February 24, 2010, Pierre Louette unexpectedly announced his

intention to resign as CEO by the end of March, and move to a job with France Télécom.

In November 2013, AFP and Getty Images were ordered to pay $1.2 million compensation to

freelance photojournalist Daniel Morel for using his images posted on Twitter related to

the 2010 Haiti earthquake without his permission, in violation of copyright and Twitter's terms

of service.

 AFP Graphics. In 1988, the agency has its own department of infographics - AFP Graphics,

which today creates about 70 graphics per day. According to the information provided by the

agency's website, thematically infographics have the following distribution: 31% - politics, 27%

- economics, 18% - sports, 12% - society, 10% - general news, 2% - culture and media.

Infographics are available in 6 languages: French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and

German.

19
 AFP Forum. In 2014, AFP launches a content platform that is available on all electronic media:

computers, tablets and mobile phones. The AFP forum is divided into several sections,

including homepage, text materials, photos, videos and graphics. News can be filtered by

headings (news, business, sports, science), hashtags and by geographical regions (Africa, North

America, Europe, etc.). All information is available in 8 languages: French, English, Arabic,

Portuguese, Spanish, German, Traditional and Simplified Chinese. In total, there are about 1250

illustrated materials per day.

 AFP Video Services. In July 2001, the agency announced the launch of AFP Video services, a

video graphics division. Already in 2007, the agency launches AFPTV - a project in which all

news from 2011 appear in HD video format. As of 2015, 200 videos in 7 different languages

appear on the site every day.

 AFP Mobile Services. In 2008, Mobile services appeared - a separate digital platform for mobile

phones. News in Mobile services is available in 6 languages (French, English, Arabic,

Portuguese, Spanish, German) and is divided into 22 thematic blocks: world news, world sports,

football, top pages, Middle East, US news, Asia and Pacific news region, photos, videos, UK

news, Africa, business, sports in the US, South African news, science, cricket, US politics,

culture, Canada, lifestyle, technology and media, more. In addition to the section by headings,

the news is divided into 100 categories (crime, energy, military conflicts, human rights, etc.), 43

countries, 70 cities and 100 hashtags. There is also a general search.

 AFP Statue. AFP operates under a 1957 law as a commercial business independent of the French

government. AFP is administered by a CEO and a board comprising 15 members:

· Eight representatives of the French press.

· Two representatives of the AFP personnel.

· Two representatives of the government-owned radio and television.

20
 · Three representatives of the government. One is named by the prime minister, another by

the minister of finance, and a third by the minister of foreign affairs.

The mission of AFP is defined in its statute:

Agence France-Presse may under no circumstances take account of influences or considerations

liable to compromise the exactitude or the objectivity of the information it provides; it may

under no circumstances fall under the control, either de facto or de jure, of any ideological,

political or economic grouping.

Agence France-Presse must, to the full extent that its resources permit, develop and enhance its

organisation so as to provide French and foreign users with exact, impartial and trustworthy

information on a regular and uninterrupted basis.

Agence France-Presse must, to the full extent that its resources permit, ensure the existence of a

network of facilities giving it the status of a worldwide information service.

The board elects the CEO for a renewable term of three years. The AFP also has a council

charged with ensuring that the agency operates according to its statutes, which mandate

absolute independence and neutrality. Editorially, AFP is governed by a network of senior

journalists.

The primary client of AFP is the French government, which purchases subscriptions for its

various services. In practice, those subscriptions are an indirect subsidy to AFP. The statutes of

the agency prohibit direct government subsidies.

 AFP Number of Employees. Based in Paris, AFP covers 151 countries, with 201 offices, 50 local

correspondents and five regional centres: Washington (North America) Hong Kong (Asia-

Pacific) Montevideo (Latin America) Nicosia (Middle East) Paris (Europe and Africa)

21
AFP says it employs 2,400 people of 100 different nationalities, including 1,700 journalists. It

provides information in six languages (French, English, Spanish, German, Portuguese and

Arabic), twenty-four hours a day (https://en.wikipedia.org).

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a leading global news agency providing

fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world
and of the issues affecting our daily lives. Drawing from an unparalleled
news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP is also a world in digital
verification. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP
covers the world in six languages, with a unique quality of multimedia
storytelling spanning video, text, photos and graphics

2.6.4. United Press International (UPI)

The UPI is an international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio

services provided news material to newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for

most of the 20th century across the globe. At its peak, it had more than 6,000 media subscribers.

Since the first of several sales and staff cutbacks in 1982, and the 1999 sale of its broadcast

client list to its main U.S. rival, the Associated Press, UPI has concentrated on smaller

information market niches. It no longer services media organizations in a major way. It was

initially named United Press Associations for incorporation and legal purposes, but publicly

known and identified as United Press or UP. The news agency was created in United States by

E. W. Scripps in 1907, a newspaper publisher by uniting three smaller news syndicates. It was

headed by Hugh Baillie from 1935 to 1955. At the time of his retirement, UP had 2,900 clients

in the United States, and 1,500 abroad (https://www.referenceforbusiness.com);

(https://www.about-upi.com).

In 1958, the UP became United Press International (UPI) after absorbing the International News

Service (INS). The agency was among the largest newswire services in the world, competing

domestically with the Associated Press (AP) and internationally with AP, Reuters and Agence

France-Presse (AFP). At its peak, UPI had more than 2,000 full-time employees; and 200 news

22
bureaus in 92 countries; it had more than 6,000 media subscribers. With the rising popularity of

television news, the business of UPI began to decline as the circulation of afternoon

newspapers, its chief client category, began to fall. Its decline accelerated after the 1982 sale of

UPI by the Scripps company (https://www.downhold.org).

Drawing lessons from AP, Scripps ensured that there were no restrictions on who could buy

news from his news service, and he made its service available to anyone, including his

competitors. Scripps also hoped to make a profit from selling that news to papers owned by

others. At that time and until World War II, most newspapers relied on news agencies for stories

outside their immediate geographic areas. Despite strong newspaper industry opposition, UPI

started to sell news to the new and competitive radio medium in 1935, years before competitor

AP, controlled by the newspaper industry, did likewise.

Scripps' United Press was considered "a scrappy alternative" news source to the AP. UP

reporters were called "Unipressers" and were noted for their fiercely aggressive and competitive

streak. Another hallmark of the company's culture was little formal training of reporters; new

hires were often thrust into a "sink-or-swim" situation of reporting on an unfamiliar subject.

They were weaned on UP's famous and well-documented (though frequently misappropriated

and misquoted) slogan of "get it first, but first, get it right”. Despite controversy, UP (and later

UPI) became a common training ground for generations of journalists

(https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org).

Two significant events in the United States distinguished the UPI from the other news agencies,

especially the AP. The UPI had an advantage of independence over the AP in reporting on

the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Because the AP was a cooperative

essentially owned by the newspapers, those in the South influenced its coverage of the racial

unrest and protests, often ignoring, minimizing, or slanting the reporting. However, UPI did not

23
have that sort of pressure, and management, according to UPI reporters and photographers of

the day, allowed them much freedom in chronicling the events of the civil rights struggle.

Also, the White House reporter Helen Thomas became the public face of UPI, as she was seen

at televised press conferences beginning in the early 1960s. UPI famously scooped the AP in

reporting the assassination of US President John Kennedy on Friday, November 22, 1963. UPI

White House reporter Merriman Smith was an eyewitness, and he commandeered the press car's

only phone to dictate the story to UPI as AP reporter Jack Bell tried—without success—to wrest

the phone away so he could call his office. Smith and UPI won a Pulitzer Prize for this reporting

(https://www.britannica.com).

Its decline was accelerated after the 1982 sale of UPI by the Scripps company. Since the 1999

sale of its broadcast client list to its one-time major rival, the AP, UPI has concentrated on

smaller information market niches. It no longer services media organizations in a major way.

2.6.5. Inter Press Service (IPS)

IPS is a global news agency with headquarter in Rome, Italy. Its main focus is news and

analysis about social, political, civil, and economic subjects as it relates to the Global South,

civil society and globalization. IPS was set up in 1964 as a non-profit international

journalist cooperative. Its founders were the Italian journalist Roberto Savio and Argentine

political scientist Pablo Piacentini. Initially, the primary objective was to fill the information

gap between Europe and Latin America after the political turbulence following the Cuban

Revolution of 1959.

Later the network expanded to include all continents, from its Latin American base in Costa

Rica in 1982. In 1994, IPS changed its legal status to that of a public-benefit organization for

development cooperation. In 1996, IPS had permanent offices and correspondents in 41

24
countries, covering 108 nations. Its subscribers included over 600 print media, around 80 news

agencies and database services and 65 broadcast media, in addition to over 500 NGOs and other

institutions. (https://www.ipsnews.net/about-us).

In terms of structure, five editorial desks coordinate the project: Montevideo, (regional bureau

for Latin America); Berlin-London (for Europe and the Mediterranean); Bangkok (for Asia and

the Pacific); New York City (North America and the Caribbean) and Johannesburg (Africa).

Most of IPS's journalists and editors are native to the country or region in which they work. IPS

receives funding from various sources: through its subscribers and clients, from multilateral and

national development cooperation programmes and from project financing from foundations. It

is not, as are most other agencies, financed by a country or newspaper group.

IPS's role is to provide an alternative to sometimes non-existent or unaffordable clipping

services. One study by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in 1991 found that of the

nearly 3,000 clippings with news agency bylines, 13% credited IPS, making it the third-most

cited. IPS reports were collected from 138 publications in 39 countries, more countries than any

other agency. IPS was particularly strong in Latin America; 72% of clippings from Latin

America with news agency bylines came from IPS (https://www.devex.com),

(http://www.ecoi.net/en/source).

2.6.6. Pan African News Agency

PanAfrican News Agency (PANA) is an African news agency. It has its headquarters

in Dakar, Senegal. It was founded on 20 July 1979 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the

Organization of African Unity (OAU) now known as African Union (AU) and was relaunched

by UNESCO in 1993. It provides news in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. PanaPress

works in collaboration with UNESCO. It contains Pan-African News Agency (PANA), also

25
referred to as Agence d'information panafricaine (AIPA) and Agence panafricaine d'information

(API) in French (https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Acad_Research/pana.html).

It was founded on 20 July 1979 with the adoption of a convention by African Ministers of

Information. PANA took over the activities of the Union des agences d'informations Africaines,

which had been set up in April 1963 in Tunis.

PANA was officially inaugurated and commenced news agency activities on 25 May 1983.

PANA is a specialised agency of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and has its

headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, with regional offices in Khartoum, Sudan; Lusaka, Zambia;

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; and Tripoli, Libya.

All member states of the OAU were members of PANA. South Africa officially became a

member of PANA after becoming a member of the OAU on 23 May 1994. The Seventh

Ordinary Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Information took place at Sun City,

South Africa in October 1994. This was the first time that an OAU-related activity took place

on South African soil (https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100058763).

2.6.7. Caribbean News Agency (CANA)

The Caribbean News Agency, a regional news agency was founded in 1975 as successor to the

former Reuters Caribbean service, created by the Caribbean region's print and broadcast

media outlets. Stake-holding media companies share their own local content with CANA which

in turn would have access to other media houses' stories and articles. This method enabled the

media houses and editors in the region to have their news shared in other neighbouring

countries within the Caribbean region (https://www.cmccaribbean.com/about-us).

On June 9, 2000, the commercial operations of CANA were merged with the Caribbean

Broadcasting Union (CBU) to form the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), based

26
in Barbados. CANA and CBU remain the sole joint owners of CMC. The agency is not-for-

profit corporation https://uia/s/or/en/110000184/), (https://www.theintegrationistcaribbean.org/

glossary/cana-caribbean-news-agency).

2.6.8. Ghana News Agency (GNA)

This is a national news agency. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) is the official news agency of

Ghana, founded in 1957 by President Kwame Nkrumah. Mr. Donald Wright, who was seconded

by the Reuters News Agency set up the Ghana News Agency and in 1961 President Nkrumah

appointed Dr. Goodwin T. Anim as the GNA's first General Manager. At the time the national

news agency was established, many viewed the organisation as part of a network of coercive

and partisan institutions, in a concerted effort to present a more favourable view of the country

to the outside world and to control the flow of information nationally

(https://muckrack.com/media-outlet/ghananewsagency).

It had only a few correspondents abroad, and the agency functioned as a gatekeeper in that it

disseminated international news to the Ghanaian press, and deleted any international news

critical of the Ghanaian leadership immediately, thus preventing such news from reaching the

country's newspapers and radio stations. Until the rise of the Pan African News Agency, the

GNA was considered one of the most efficient news agencies in Africa. The GNA was initially

operating as a government department, but it became a state corporation on the day Ghana was

declared a republic, in 1960 (https://www.devex.com).

2.6.9. South Africa Press Association (SAPA)

SAPA is a national news agency owned by South Africa. It is the major news supplier of

foreign and domestic news to South Africa, providing all forms of media – newspapers,

27
television, radio and web-based – with various form of media contents. The agency was

established on 1 July 1938, by major South African newspapers to facilitate the sharing of news

(www.sapa.org.za).

Reuters had dominated the internal supply of news in South Africa until 1938. When SAPA was

founded, Reuters retained the exclusive right to supply it with world news. Reuters ended this

partnership in 1995, when it began expanding its own Southern African activities in competition

with SAPA. In February 1938, the constitution for the new agency was framed, and by April

that year, it became a co-operative news agency under the control of every British and

Afrikaans newspaper that wished to join. During the apartheid era, it was criticized by the

ruling National Party for inadequate reporting of the government's viewpoint

and Afrikaner culture.

From 1964 to 1981, SAPA owned a subsidiary in the Inter-Africa News Agency (IANA) in

neighbouring Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe), which was later taken over by the Zimbabwe Mass

Media Trust.

The non-governmental agency continues to function under the ownership of South African

newspapers. SAPA is the major news supplier of foreign and domestic news to South Africa,

providing all forms of media – newspapers, television, radio and web-based – with news,

videos, and photographs. Its newswire provides a constant feed of news to newsrooms in South

Africa. The agency also maintains a picture and news video service, press release service called

link2media. Traditionally, SAPA has relied on its regional newspaper members for regional

South African news, in addition to reporting by its own staff. Its head office is in Johannesburg,

and it has bureaus in Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Pretoria. Its primary area of

distribution is in South Africa, although it does have clients abroad as well as exchange

agreements with other major news agencies (https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/south-

african-press-association-established).

28
2.7. THE NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA (NAN)

The News Agency of Nigeria is the official news agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to Babatunde (2014) the call to have a Nigeria national news agency was moved in

1957 and it was to be a conglomerate of leading print and broadcast media in the country.

Onuora as cited in Babatunde (2014) affirms that in April 1970, the then Commissioner for

Information and Labour, Chief Anthony Enahoro, approached the Federal Executive Council

requesting approval to establish a Nigerian national news agency. Chief Anthony Enahoro, as

cited in Babatunde (2014, p.22-23):

The non-existence of a Nigerian national news agency has caused

concern both within government circles and among the enlightened
section of the Nigerian community for several years. The significance
of a national news agency has been keenly felt in these years of a
national conflict, when foreign news agencies have, by and large,
either distorted news concerning the Federal Military Government or
completely ignored important items and starved it of global
dissemination. It has, in consequence, grown increasingly clear that
only a national news agency can serve the purpose of ensuring the
widest circulation of news and features for the buttressing of
Nigeria’s growing role in regional, continental, and international
affairs.
A national news agency would play a far-reaching role in Nigeria’s
domestic affairs in enabling news and information of all kinds to
circulate effectively between receiving and transmitting points all
over the Federation. The agency would in this manner, foster national
consciousness, facilitate awareness and understanding within the
Nigerian community itself and promote unity.

Consequently, in May 1976, the Federal Executive Council approved the draft decree on the

establishment of the News Agency of Nigeria and agreed that it should be promulgated by the

Head of the Federal Military Government. The decree establishing the News Agency Nigeria

(NAN) is Decree No. 19 of May 10, 1976.

29
 Below is the organogram of NAN by Nzekwu as cited in Babatunde (2014).

2.7.1. News Agency of Nigeria Structure

The 1978 amendment to the News Agency of Nigeria Decree changed NAN from a public

trust to a Federal Government owned parastatal. It is supervised by the Federal Ministry of

Information and Culture. The administration of the News Agency of Nigeria takes the

structure of a Pyramid with the commands of authorities flowing from top to the bottom.

The Agency has five departments as follows:

I. Managing Director’s Office,

II. The Editorial Department,

III. The Marketing Department,

IV. The Technical Department, and

30
V. The Administrative and Finance Department.

Source: (Nzekwu, 1994)

NAN began operation in 1978 with a tentative organisational structure. In its first four

years, it witnessed a rapid growth because it needed to make a quick impact on an already

well-established media scene and fulfil its objectives. This growth did not only sharpen the

problem of recruiting and retaining the desired calibre of personnel, it also rendered

inadequate NAN’s initial structure. In the early 1980, NAN submitted to the Ministry of

Establishment, through the Ministry of Information, an elaborate organisational structure

which was designed to take care of the unplanned growth of the Agency over another ten

years Onuora (1994).

The administrative structure of NAN is as following:

 The Board of Directors

At the top is the Board of Directors, which consists of a ten-membership team, headed by a

chairman. Members of the Board are appointed by the Presidency on recommendation of the

Federal Ministry of Information. The first Board of Directors was inaugurated in March,

1978. It was headed by late Prof. Alfred E. Opubor and was in office until May, 1982 when

the second board was inaugurated.

 The Managing Director

According to the story of NAN (2007), the agency has a management team, headed by a

Managing Director. The office of the Managing Director is in charge of the day-to-day

administration of the Agency. In addition to its executive functions, it operates four viz: the

Board Secretariat which is headed by a Secretary/Legal Adviser, the Internal Audit, the

Corporate Affairs Unit and the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.

31
 The Editorial Department

The Editorial Department is headed by the Executive Director/Editor-In-Chief. He is

assisted by some Deputy-Editor-In-Chiefs (DEIC) and Assistant-Editor-In-Chiefs (AEIC).

There are various editorial desks, headed by AEIC.

 Marketing Department

Marketing Department is headed by a Director. The department is responsible for the

marketing of all NAN media mix and other non-media services being provided by the News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

At the initial stage and being a new organization, the reception of News Agency of Nigeria

news service was slow, perhaps, this is because the service was never tested and most

importantly because there are already existing and well-developed international news

agencies. Onuora (1994) revealed that 1979 witnessed an upsurge in interest in the NAN’S

service. The responsibility of scouting for subscribers for the old and innovative media

contents rest on the shoulder of the Marketing Department. At the start of the Agency, it

was known and designated as Commercial Department.

 Finance and Administration Department

This department is headed by an Executive Director who oversees all affairs relating to

personnel, administrations and finances of the Agency. This department is also responsible

for the personnel recruitment and pension matters.

 Technical Services Department

The Technical Services Department is headed by a Director. This department shares primary

function of the Agency with the Editorial Department. The Editorial Department gathers and

processes news. The Technical Services Department is made up of seven units, which

include, Project Design; Planning and Implementation; Computer Service;

32
Data/PABX/Lines; HF & VHF Radio/Traffic; Electrical/R & A Workshop; Motor

Workshop; and Area Maintenance Centre. This unit provides and maintains the Agency’s

news transmission and news processing equipment. The Data/PABX/Lines and HF & VHF

Radio Traffic units have been phased out as the Agency now uses satellites to transmit news

products to client on internet.

The effectiveness of telecommunications and news processing network any news agency

such as NAN, will determine its level of efficiency, hence, the NAN has embraced modern

communication technology with a paradigm shift from the old telecommunication feature of

HF & VHF Radio Traffic to internet-based transmission gadgets. As at today, with the aid

of internet and social media, the agency has fully adopted and incorporated the use of new

media in its activities.

2.7.2. The Need for News Agency of Nigeria

According to Onabajo (2000), the international news agencies and the media of developed

nations have continued to portray the regions of the developing world as areas inflicted with

natural disasters, dictatorship, military coup d’état, economic chaos, conflict, hunger,

political instability, AIDS, malaria, official corruption, etc. The opened onslaught of the

western media against Nigeria and other African countries has continued to dent the image

of Africans and portrays them as lesser beings. In his own postulation, Dare (1983) believes

that a Third World news agency would place emphasis on news of development over news

of conflict, crime and disasters. He states that the local news agency would rather focus its

reporting on processes than events, and diversify its sources of foreign news to achieve

greater balance.

33
Prompted by the above submission and belief, Chief Anthony Enahoro saw the need for a

Nigerian national news agency and made the official move in 1970. Presenting his request,

Enahoro pointed out that the non-existence of a Nigerian national news agency has caused

concern, both within government circles and among the enlightened section of the Nigerian

community for several years.

The significance of a national news agency has been keenly felt in the years of national

conflict, when foreign news agencies have either distorted news concerning the Federal

Military Government or completely ignored important items and starved it of global

dissemination. It has, in consequence, grown increasingly clear that only a national news

agency can serve the purpose of ensuring the widest circulation of news and features to

buttress Nigeria’s growing role in regional, continental and international affairs (Onuora

1994).

London based, British news agency, Reuters-one of the news agencies heavily patronized by

the Nigerian media was dismissed in the country on the basis of biased and prejudiced

reporting of events in Nigeria to the world owing to the military coup d’ etat and counter

coup that led to the death of General Murtala Mohammed in 1975 (Onuoha and Chidiebere,

2012).

Arya (2011), while supporting this argument cited the MacBride report on the New World

Information and Communication Order (NWICO) in order to draw attention to the

yearnings of the developing countries to bring about a paradigm change in the alarmingly

disproportionate news flow from the North to South, which has seriously impinged upon

their sovereignty and development.

According to the MacBride report as Arya (2011) puts it:

There was an outcry from the developing world that their

reliance on the modernised nations of the North for hardware
and software in the information sector as well as the
34
 alarmingly disproportionate news flow from the North to
South were seriously impinging upon their own sovereignty
and development (p.13)

Boyd-Barrett (2001) in the report of a workshop “The Future of National News Agencies in

the Era of the Internet” opines that national news agencies remains significant because they

provide affordable services of domestic and international news to national and local media;

their news portfolios typically aim to be comprehensive with respect to the representation

and interests of the major different constituencies of the nation state. They are important and

privileged sources of news for political, economic and financial institutions. They serve as a

conduit for services of international news agencies to local domestic media, and also

feedback local and national news to the international news agencies and thus can influence

the international representation of their individual nation states. They are typically more

driven by goals of public service than of profit maximization.

Boyd-Barrett (2001) further emphasized that local news agencies are often regarded by

governments as tools of national development and as vehicles that offer positive or at least

balanced images of their respective countries for international consumption. The

disappearance of national news agencies would likely lead to increasing fragmentation and

unreliability of news sources. It would diminish the contribution of the media to the

construction of a public sphere; and it would reduce the tools at a government’s disposal for

national development and identity.

2.7.3. History of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

As stated earlier, the need to create a Nigerian national news agency was first mooted in

1957. It was to be a cooperative that was to be controlled by leading broadcast and

newspaper interest groups in the country. The proposal dates back to the signing of a

subscription agreement between Nigeria and Reuters in 1957, Onuora (1994). However, the
35
proposal collapsed when the Daily Times withdrew on the grounds that the estimates and

costs were unreasonably low and the proposed subscriptions were too high.

In 1961, the Nigerian Government interest to set up the national news agency was rekindled

at a conference organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO) in Dakar, Senegal. The conference in Senegal was a meeting of

the Committee of African and Malagasy States, an intergovernmental organization created

on 12 September 1961 to promote cooperation among former French colonies in Africa,

which was summoned to examine how to create an inter-African Press Agency. Following

the meeting, the Nigerian delegation were fully convinced that a Nigerian national news

agency was not only desirable but imperative. The report submitted by the delegates to that

conference led the government to direct the Federal Minister of Information, in 1962, to

explore the possibilities of establishing a Nigerian national news agency.

According to Onuora, (1994), another early attempt to float a national news agency came up

when representatives of newspapers and broadcast interests met with the acting Director of

Information in February, 1963 to discuss the proposed agency and recommended a final

memorandum to the Federal Government.

Series of meetings and setting up of different committees were made all through the decade

until 1970 when the Federal Government finally took a stand to establish a news agency. In

April, 1970, the then Federal Commissioner for Information and Labour approached the

Federal Executive Council requesting approval to establish a Nigerian national news agency

(Onuora 1994).

The importance of a national news agency has been keenly felt in the many years of a

national conflicts. On many occasions, the foreign news agencies, either distorted news

concerning the government of Nigeria or completely ignored important items and starved

36
 it of global dissemination. It has, therefore grown increasingly clear that only a national

news agency can serve the purpose of ensuring the widest circulation of news and features

to support Nigeria’s growing role in regional, continental and international affairs.

According to Nzekwu (1994).

A national news agency would play a far-reaching role in

Nigeria’s domestic affairs in enabling news and
information of all kinds to circulate effectively between
receiving and transmitting points all over the Federation.
The agency would in this manner, foster national
consciousness, facilitate awareness and understanding
within the Nigerian community itself and promote unity
(p.7)

The News Agency of Nigeria is probably the Africa’s leading News Agency. In Nigeria, it

serves as the primary news contents provider for the media industry, such as newspapers,

electronic media, comprising radio and television, and bloggers. Following its establishment by

Decree 19 in 1976, the agency started operation on 2 October, 1978.

The mandates of NAN, according to the Decree establishing it include:

1. To seek, obtain and otherwise receive through subscription payment, exchange or other means,

international, regional, local and other news materials and features

2. To distribute such news, news materials and news features to subscribers against payment either

in the form of news exchange or in such terms as may be agreed.

3. To present complete, objective and impartial information, news, news materials or features on

any matter of public or national interest within and outside the federation.

4. To report truthfully and fairly, without prejudice to public and national interest, the views of all

section of the federation and;

5. To engage in commercial enterprises that are ancillary to the objects of the agency.

37
2.7.4. NAN Products Portfolio

The profile of NAN (2010) gave the products mix in terms of contents. It is classified into

two main categories, media and non-media. The media products are basically news services

designed and packaged for the needs of media organisations, both print and electronic. This

category is further segmented into seven categories of specialisation:

General News Services - The general news service (GNS) is an omnibus package of news

on general events across the nation and beyond. It debuted on October 2, 1978 with a 1670-

word cyclostyled news bulletin in Lagos. The GNS encompasses socio-political, cultural,

educational, crime, diplomatic, judiciary and legislative events. Its scope is, indeed,

unlimited. The GNS, the flagship of the Agency’s news products, has tremendously assisted

in enriching the content of print and electronic clients which include national newspapers

and radio/television stations in Nigeria with timely and accurate reports from over 350

reporters.

NAN Econs - The NAN Economic News Services was launched in May, 1983. It deals with

news from oil and gas, agriculture, mines, energy, manufacturing, maritime, commerce,

finance, insurance and tourism industries. Among its core competence is its incisive daily

coverage of the nation’s money and capital markets. Subscribers to this service cut across

the news media, banks and allied financial institutions, insurance and manufacturing

companies.

NAN Sports - The NAN Sports news service debuted at the same time with the

NANECONS in May, 1983. It is a wholly sport news (local and foreign) package that meets

the daily needs of the Agency’s media clients. Particularly, this service places emphasis on

grassroots sports developmental news without diminishing its national and international

fervours. The regular coverage of international sports events, like the Olympics and FIFA

World Cup series, makes this service a permanent ally of the local media. It has greatly
38
assisted the nation’s national and regional media outfits in sourcing up-to-date news on the

international sports circuits.

NAN Features - The NAN Features service has also carved a niche for itself in the Nigerian

print media industry. Beyond the basic elements of news stories, the NAN features provide

all necessary perspectives to news events without being self-opinionating. This service is

also being patronised by corporate organisations for specialised features on their major

events.

NAN-Photo Service - The NAN-Photo service was introduced in April 1985 to improve the

photo content of the nation’s newspapers and magazines. From the black -and-white print

mode, the NAN-Photo Unit prides itself as one of the nation’s richest photo archives. It also

has a photo gallery on the NAN website through which it services its clients.

Niger Delta News Service – Due to the strategic position of the Niger Delta region in the

nation’s economy, NAN places a special focus on its socio-economic activities and

programmes. This led to the establishment of its Niger Delta Bureau in 2006 with the

support of the Delta State Government. This bureau provides in-depth coverage of the nooks

and crannies of this oil-rich region, thus making NAN the most authoritative source of news

on the Niger Delta. Daily news dispatches in this vital oil and gas region is available on

NAN website.

Multi-media Products - To remain the largest media content provider in Nigeria and Africa,

NAN ventured into multi-media service provision in 2007, serving audio (clips) to many

radio stations across the nation’s six geo-political zones. With the completion of an ultra-

modern multi-media studio at the Abuja corporate headquarters, the agency has added video

services. NAN also provides ticker tapes for television streaming since the last quarter of

2008. This has opened a new vista for the agency and placed it in the league of multi-media

international news agencies like Reuters, AFP, XINHUA, and AP. The nation’s local
39
broadcasting organisations have been the better for this initiative. With the installation of

necessary software, broadcast stations now receive the agency’s audio-visual services.

Short Message Service (SMS) – With the coming of social media, the NAN has fully

adopted the use of SMS to diversify its operation, get to the subscribers and make more

money. This is a short message from a breaking story instantly sent to subscribers of their

mobile phones or other devices through the GSM operation. As soon as any story breaks,

before others could get it, the NAN quickly package within 60 characters and disseminate to

its subscribers. So, the subscribers get the new immediately or as it is happening.

NAN Non-Media Products - Since information services are not restricted to media

organisation alone, the Agency has an array of some non-media products for corporate

organisations and government ministries, department and agencies (MDAs).

These non-media products are:

NAN Press-Release Wire Services (NAN-PR wire) - The NAN-PRwire is a professionally

packaged press release service which links corporate organisations with the nation’s print

and electronic media, cost effectively. The service offers the former a unique opportunity to

get their company news sent electronically, to the more than 130 media clients to NAN,

simultaneously, for usage, after necessary professional touch. With the news exchange

agreements between NAN and many top international news agencies like AP, Reuters, AFP,

XINHUA and PANA, organisations which subscribe to this service also have the benefit of

giving global exposure to their company news.

NAN On-Line Advertising - Online advertising is another non-media product of NAN.

Organisations, private and public, are deriving huge returns from advertising on the NAN

website: www.nanngronline.com . With the dependence of many Nigerians (at home and in

the diaspora) and foreigners on NAN for authentic news about Nigeria and its growing

economy, the website has grown to be a constant attraction to web users.

40
NAN Bizcom - The NAN Bizcom Nigeria Limited is a subsidiary company of the Agency

which has, over time, developed adequate capacity for training management, consultancy,

ICT supplies, property development and management. It was first registered in 1994 as a

business centre located on 32, Bode Thomas St., Surulere, Lagos, following the 1992

amendment of the NAN Act which mandated it “to engage in commercial enterprises that

are ancillary to the objectives of the Agency. In 2007, it was upgraded into a limited liability

company and backed with a fully automated 50-seat Training Centre in NAN House, Abuja.

One major thing that distinguished NAN is its capacity and strength, with substantial reach and

mobility across all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja where

it now has its headquarters. NAN headquarters at inception is Lagos, which was the seat of

Nigerian Government at the time of its establishment. Presently, NAN can boast of a huge

number of staff strength nationwide and across the globe, who produce news stories from their

base every day.

Being the primary news content provider for Nigeria’s news industry at inception, news stories

and other news materials, including pictures and feature articles, published on NAN’s platform

are picked and published by a huge number of subscribers across Nigeria. With the coming of

the social media, it is now doubtful if NAN can lay claim to being the primary news content

provider to Nigeria’s media industry.

Today the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has an up-to-date website- www.nan.ng . The

organization is also on some social media platform. Its twitter account is @nanonlineng. It also

has a YouTube account, LinkedIn and a Facebook account. It is on this backdrop that this study

will be investigating the influence of the new media on NAN. Special attention will be paid on

the revenue generation of the agency in line with the growth of the new media

41
 2.8. NEWS AGENCY, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA AND THE NEW MEDIA

In a paper entitled “The News Agency Goes Internet” presented at the Reuters Institute

Fellowship of University of Oxford, Mimma Lehtovaara submitted that the media is undergoing

some unusual changes due to these factors:

 The global recession and its effects on the media business primarily in western countries

 Rapidly developing social media

 The progress of internet and its impacts on journalism and media companies

 Recently introduced new platforms and technologies, such as internet phones and tablets, and

those to be introduced in the future

Furthermore, Lehtovaara argues that the metamorphosis in the media landscape has affected

editorial policy, job specification and financial framework. Hence the argument is for news

agencies to brace up for these changes. Lehtovaara (2011) said:

Therefore, the reasoning and the basic themes for my study are
simple: the news and press agencies must decide what kind of a
stand they will take towards all these changes within the internet era
and what kind of strategic decisions are needed. Furthermore, how
can the news agencies keep up with the speed of change and how
can the journalistic processes of change within the news agencies be
successfully managed? (p.4).

Similarly, Christopher Griessner (2012), a Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of

Journalism in a paper entitled “News Agencies and Social Media: A Relationship with a

Future” posed the same question when he asserted that “how can news agencies use social

media and at the same time maintain their core business of selling news on a subscription

basis?” p.5).

To furthermore buttress the relationship between the news agencies and the social media,

Mimma Lehtovaara succinctly argues thus:

42
 The problem for the many news agencies is a sort of
cannibalisation. How much can an agency publish news material
within the social media? In many cases the news agency is owned
by its major customers, which makes the question more complex.
The customers are paying for the wire service and naturally they
expect to have it first. An agency listens carefully to its customers
and cannot start to operate solo (p.33).

This assertion probably paints a picture of how the social media might reduce the revenue

generation of news agencies. The social media no doubt is a powerful media that will provide

wider coverage and exposure for news agencies but the statement above will probably make the

industry think otherwise.

In answering the question of monetizing social media for news agencies, Lehtovaara opined
thus:

The Editor in chief of the STT says that the question of publishing
content within the social media is 'interesting'. According to him
there are plans where several European news agencies are about to
start a joint venture project within Facebook… There are also ways
to monetize the social media by offering monitoring and / or
moderating services for the clients (p.33).

Mimma Lehtovaara (2011) aptly pointed out that newspaper and broadcast media are more

active in the social media than the news agencies. Some of the companies, particularly Reuters,

are well-established tweeters while the smaller agencies do not have any presence at all or it is

very limited or is concentrating on non-journalistic services. Some of the international news

agencies on twitter as enumerated by Lehtovaara are:

43
Name Followers Tweets

Reuters 773,000 44,000

Thomson Reuters 14,000 1,500

British Press Association PA 6,200 160

DPA Infoline, Germany 4,900 2,200

ANP Photo, Netherlands 760 50

STT Info, Finland 200 7,000

APA, Austria no presence

In a study entitled: Assessing the Use of Services of the News Agency of Nigeria by Nigerian

Newspaper, Babatunde (2014) found that the News Agency of Nigeria still subsist as a source

of news for major newspapers in the country. The study which adopted a mixed methodology-

interview and content-analysis furthered observed that newspaper organizations confirmed that

the content of NAN is cheap and makes economic sense.

Similarly, Edeh (2014) studied the influence of online journalism on News Agency of Nigeria.

The study which was guided by Marshall McLuhan theory of Technology Determinism found

that online Journalism has had great impact on the News Agency of Nigeria. The scholar posits

that the advance of media technology is reshaping the structure and operation of News Agency

of Nigeria.

Griessner (2012), a Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in a study entitled

News Agencies and Social Media: A Relationship with a Future posed the same question when

he asserted that “how can news agencies use social media and at the same time maintain their

core business of selling news on a subscription basis?” p.5). The researcher found that news

44
agencies around the world are using social media for news dissemination and also for selling

news.

Arya (2011) from India, did a research titled: “The Over-Dependence of Indian English

newspapers on Global News Agencies for International News”. Arya’s study aims to determine

the extent to which the Indian English newspapers rely on transnational news agencies like

Reuters and AP for foreign news. It does so through a quantitative content analysis wherein the

international news stories published in the three most widely read Indian English dailies are

compared with the associated Reuters and AP content during the month of July, 2011. This was

done to detect the verbatim usage of the agencies copy in the papers‟ news reports. The results

of the analysis demonstrate that a large number of stories from across the world published in the

three newspapers are near complete replications of the agencies wire copy (although the levels

of publications’ dependence on the news agencies vary). Furthermore, Arya used the Theory of

Media Imperialism to address the concern over journalists’ high dependency on news agencies.

Arya (2011) used quantitative content analysis as a research method to analyse the originality

and independence of Indian English newspapers’ international journalism in the study. Three

most widely read newspapers in India – Times of India, Hindustan Times and the Hindu in 2010

- were selected for the content analysis. The results of the Arya’s study indicate that, to a large

extent, the foreign news consumed by the readers of the leading Indian English dailies namely

the Times of India, Hindustan Times and the Hindu comes from a highly limited number of

news services like Reuters and A.P. Although the level of dependence on the wire services

varies (the Times of India and Hindustan Times having a near total dependence on them; the

Hindu‟s reliance is comparatively lesser).

In a paper entitled “The News Agency Goes Internet” presented at the Reuters Institute

Fellowship of University of Oxford, Lehtovaara (2011) found that:

The Editor in chief of the STT says that the question of

publishing content within the social media is 'interesting'.
According to him there are plans where several European
45
 news agencies are about to start a joint venture project
within Facebook… There are also ways to monetize the
social media by offering monitoring and / or moderating
services for the clients (p.33).

Mimma Lehtovaara (2011) aptly pointed out that newspaper and broadcast media are more

active in the social media than the news agencies. Another researcher, Peter Kenny (2009) in a

study titled “News agencies as content providers and purveyors of news: A media

historiographical study on the development and diversity of wire services”, examines the

history, development and diversity of news agencies. He studies the major news agencies and

pinpoints how smaller wire services that sometimes purvey niche news seek to offer a more

diverse global news-flow. In the conclusion of his study, Kenny (2009) corroborated Lehtovaara

(2011) when he pointed out that “scholarly material on news agencies generally appears far less

prominent than on other media components such as newspapers, radio, television and the

Internet.

The reviews above have exhumed some significant gaps in the current study. Firstly, no current

study in Nigeria has attempted to investigate the impact of social media on the revenue of news

agency of Nigeria (NAN). Secondly the current study employed a mixed method to ascertain

the objective of the study. Most of the studies in the review employed a single research

approach. Hence, the current seek to bridge these gaps.

The coming of social media, which is aided by the world of Internet is changing the

conventional one-way information flow in the news media. With the coming of the new media,

people who have long been at the receiving end of one-way mass communication are now

increasingly likely to become producers and transmitters. The distinction between information

producers and consumers will become increasingly difficult to draw, Creeber and Martin,

(2009). Also, Rodman (2009) says the presence of goggle news, twitter, Facebook and other

social networking media are also changing the phase of journalism.

46
The NAN and other news agencies are not left out as the social media are considered a serious

threat to the existence of news agencies. Looking critically at this, Högerl (2010), is of the view

that the use of internet and mobile phones have given birth to citizen journalism where people

now use their gadgets to gather and disseminate news, even faster than the conventional media

professionals. He added that in recent years a number of news stories have been broken first by

citizens armed with mobile phones, digital cameras and Internet connection. For example, news

about the earthquake in Haiti, the emergency landing of a Quantas A380-plane in Singapore or

the Iran elections were first broken by citizens. Even if a news agency has a foreign

correspondent in the country, he may not be as fast as an ordinary citizen involved or seeing it

happened. Högerl (2010).

How is the continued relevance of NAN and the other international news agencies in the face of

the activities of citizens journalism which has become very pronounced in the 21 st century? As

Hogerl (2010) succinctly said, never in history has it been so easy for ordinary people to

broadcast their own opinions and new worthy events. Also, in total agreement with Hogerl

position, Abdulfatai (2014) pointed out that citizens publish on the micro-blogging-service

Twitter, on their weblogs or on social networks like Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter and the rest.

In the real sense, any person can access the content uploaded by these citizen journalists at a

reduced or no cost provided they have access to new media gadget or platform. Stanley and

Dennis (2009) hinted that in the middle and late 19th century, popular demand for cheap media

content by large urban populations drove the development of several new media.

Rosenstiel (2005) is of the view that people are now free, and have the opportunity to create

their own news as well as to get the other side of the story by getting news from the Internet

which is seen as free from control. It is therefore strongly believed that the demand for cheap

media content will cause a decline in the patronage of NAN. As we know, NAN and other news

agencies across the globe are providers of media contents and materials which they sell to the

traditional news media of print, television, and radio. In their work, Benneth and Iyengor
47
(2008), traced the decline in consumption of mass media content to the new media and that

much attention has not been paid to this problem.

One very important ingredient on NAN, or any news agency is its credibility and reliability in

the face of craze for cheap media content. In this context, a significant question arose: Can these

cheap sources of media content be as credible as the news agencies? News agencies, such as

NAN are known for their accurate and credible news. Pearson and Brand (2001) explain that

wire services are the most influential and trustworthy news medium, because they don’t make

mistakes and that’s usually the first priority. Australian Press Council, (2008) confirms this by

stating that news material from wire agencies appears largely immune from serious scrutiny.

According to Boyd-Barrett and Rantanen (2009), it seemed as new digital tools allowed other

competitors to enter the field that the Internet initially appeared to be more threat than

opportunity for news agencies because it reduced the costs of market-entry for news-gathering

and distribution. But Knight (2007) posited that the Internet only helps to showcase news

agencies’ reliability in the business of providing accurate and credible news. To him:

When people call up breaking news, more often than not [it] is
agency news they are reading. The reason for that is that agencies
are specialists in accurate, real time reporting. Those sorts of skills
and abilities are just as highly prized in the world of the Internet.
That fact that the Internet is there, showcasing these skills,
is more an opportunity than a threat (p.20)

NAN and wire services across the world have embraced the new media, and there seems to be

no way around it. Griessner (2012,) says that, there seems to be no way around social media,

whether to use it as a news source, to connect with the audience, clients and experts, to share

information about new developments and services within the company or simply to distribute

stories, images or videos. He concludes that tools like Facebook or Twitter have become crucial

to access certain information, to stay competitive in a newly shaped media environment and

provide active ways to search for news and information via different networks. This also

48
includes the use of information provided by citizen journalists as everyday people break news

on social media when it comes to event-driven news.

Boyd-Barrett and Rantanen (2009) state that major news agencies have always been at the

forefront, sometimes the pioneers, of new communication technologies. According to them:

By 2007, the larger news agencies had successfully

accommodated to a multimedia universe. All the major news
agencies now ran Internet news and information services for
direct client access, as well as news and information packages
for client Web sites and mobile telephone services. Thus,
the Internet had greatly expanded the number of potential
clients for agency services, increased agency flexibility
in generating novel information packages, and reduced the
costs of distribution so that a greater proportion of
expenditure could be dedicated to content and service quality (p.14)

The new media has definitely come to stay; therefore, the NAN and any other news agencies

have no choice than key into its usage for effective and efficient delivery of service as quickly

as possible and at the required speed time. As stated by Griessner (2012), the business of

newsgathering value alone is huge, and news agencies, along with their individual journalists,

are shooting themselves in the foot if they are not using the tools at their disposal.

2.9. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

As stated earlier, two theoretical frameworks were adopted for the study. They are Technology

Determinism Theory, and the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The theories are discussed

below:

2.9.1. The Technology Determinism Theory

This theory was propounded by Marshal McLuhan in 1962. He explains Technology

Determinism Theory by stating that communication technologies shape how we as individuals

in the society think, feel, act and how society operates as we move from one technological

advancement to another. This theory postulates that changes in communication modes largely

49
determine the course of history. This goes to show that the explosion in information technology

would be followed by change, both culturally, socially and economically. Williams (1990) went

further to say that the central belief of this theory lies in the inevitable power of technologies to

cause widespread social change. New communication technologies are discovered, by an

essentially internal process of research and development which then sets the conditions for

social change and progress. Griffins (2000) opined that this” theory regards our present culture

upheaval as a direct result of the information explosion fostered by television and the

computers”. Technology Determinism Theory emphasizes the importance of the medium and

subsequently, the influence which the medium can have on the audience. McQuail (2005) calls

it media – centric theory where he states that the theory sees mass media as a primary mover in

social change, driven forward by irresistible developments in communication technologies.

Schement and Curtis as cited in McQuail (2005) provide us with a detailed “Timeline” of

communication technologies inventions, which they classify according to their being either

“Conceptual or Institutional” (such as computers and satellites). History shows several apparent

trends but especially a shift over time in the direction of more speed, greater dispersion, wider

reach and greater flexibility. They underline the capacity for communication more readily to

cross barriers of time and spaces.

This theory emphasizes the importance of the medium and subsequently, the influence which

the medium can have on the audience. Elucidating on this, Nwodu (2004) opined that the theory

shows not only that the medium, rather than the content of communication influence both

audience and the operators and that, the communication technologies are turning the world into

a global village.

As postulates by the Technology Determinism Theory, the new media have changed the

thinking and feeling of people in respect to media operations. New media have changed to a

large extent the way information (news) are gathered, processed and disseminated. It has also

affected the operations of media houses and news agencies across the globe. News media have
50
obviously impacted on the operations of news agencies globally and the News Agency of

Nigeria cannot be an exception. The coming of new media as a form of communication

technology must have therefore shaped and influenced the services rendered by NAN, affected

its sales of news materials and income; because of the way the thinking of people, their feelings,

actions and even the way they operate in the society have been shaped be the new media.

2.9.2. Diffusion of Innovations Theory

Diffusion of Innovation Theory is developed by E.M. Rogers in 1962. It is one of the oldest

social science theories and originated in communication to explain how, overtime, an idea or

product gains momentum and diffuses or spread through a specific population or social system.

In explaining this theory as it relates to this study, Diffusion is the process of spread of a given

idea or practice, over time via specifiable channels Katz et al (1963). This theory holds that for a

new idea or innovation to diffuse, there must be awareness stage, interest stage, evaluation

stage, trial and adoption stage. They added that different types of innovations require different

kinds of adoption units. This implies that the success of any new innovation depends highly on

the level of awareness, interest and adoption that is given to that innovation. Therefore, for new

media technologies to have influence on the operations of the news agencies, the professionals

must be aware of the technologies, it must interest them to use. Also, they should be able to

evaluate the output and see how effective it is and decide whether to adopt it or not. Rogers

(1983, p.165) proposed five steps through which diffusion of innovation go through. It is

pertinent to state that decisions are not coercive or collective, each member of the social system

encounters their own innovation that follows these 5-step process. The diagram below illustrates the 5-

step process.

51
Source: Rogers, 1983

Rogers elaborated on the above diagram. His expository clearly gives us a clear meaning of

innovation like social media. This expository is contained in his 1983 book entitled “Diffusion

of Innovation”. Rogers (1983, p.164) opines the 5-step process below:

1. Knowledge occurs when an individual (or other decision-making unit) is

exposed to the innovation's existence and gains some understanding of how it
functions.
2. Persuasion occurs when an individual (or other decision-making unit)
forms a favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the innovation.
3. Decision occurs when an individual (or other decision-making unit)
engages in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject the innovation.
4. Implementation occurs when an individual (or other decision-making unit)
puts an innovation into use.
5. Confirmation occurs when an individual (or other decision-making unit)
seeks reinforcement of an innovation-decision already made, but he or she may
reverse this previous decision if exposed to conflicting messages about the
innovation
52
As stated earlier, for new media technologies to exact influence on the operations of the news

agencies, the professionals must have knowledge of the technologies, and they must develop a

considerable level of interest on the technologies in order to effectively utilize it.

53
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. INTRODUCTION

Methods of data collection entail processes that the study adopted in identifying sources of data.

This section of the study is concerned on how both secondary and primary data were collected.

Furthermore, this chapter elaborates how the primary data for the study is analyzed.

This chapter focuses on the following: the research design, population of the study, sampling

technique, instrument for data collection, pre-testing and validation of instrument,

administration of instrument and method of data analysis. The primary data for the study were

sourced through interview method while the secondary data were from academic journals,

conference proceedings, textbooks and other relevant secondary materials.

3.2. RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design is the base plan that guides the data collection and analysis phase of the

research work. It is, therefore, the framework which specifies the type of information to be

collected, that is, for data collection.

The mixed-method approach is the design adopted in this study because it gives room for

systematic integration or combining of quantitative and qualitative data within a single

investigation. The basic premise of this methodology is that such combination permits a

complete and synergistic utilisation of data than do separate quantitative and qualitative data

collection and analysis (Wisdom and Creswell 2013). Also, the mixed-method approach has

great potential to advance the depth and enrich the analysis and findings of the data, as the forte

of the other will substitute the limitation of any of the methods (quantitative or qualitative). The

interview is adopted for the qualitative method while the survey is used for the quantitative

method.

54
Survey was considered appropriate because it is a crucial method in the measurement of public

opinion, attitudes and orientation which are dominant among a large population at a particular

period Okoro (2001). Osuala (2001) justified this decision when he said that surveys are

oriented towards the determination of the status of a given phenomenon. In other words, it is

found to be one of the best ways of determining the attitude of people, towards a subject,

situation or idea put out for examination, since part of the study population are in mass, which is

the consumers.

While interview is helpful in providing detailed data from the selected respondents, Schostak,

(2006) sees the interview as an extendable conversation between partners that aims at having

‘in-depth information' about a particular topic or subject, and through which a phenomenon

could be interpreted regarding the meaning’s interviewees bring to it. For the purpose of this

work, the researcher opted for the semi-structured interviews as it allows covering various

issues concerning the study.

3.3. POPULATION OF THE STUDY

Population refers to all the conceivable elements that are under the study of a researcher. These

elements may be animate or inanimate. For the purpose of this study, the population of the study

is animate (humans). Specifically, the population of this study comprises persons at the

managerial positions at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Headquarters, Abuja. Particular

attention was paid to the editorial, finance and marketing departments. In addition, through a

snowballing sampling technique the researcher was able to recruit 269 journalists that work at

the NAN offices in Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Ibadan, and Kano State. In addition to this, the

55
researcher recruited 25 other journalists, 15 of which are from NAN, while 10 are Editors from

other media organisations.

3.4. SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING PROCEDURE

The sample size for the study is twenty individuals from both the News Agency of Nigeria and

other conventional media outlets. The reason for the inclusion of other conventional media

organizations is to further probe to what extent these organizations subscribe to NAN in this

new media age. According to National Centre for Research Methods Review Paper (n.d, p.10),

suggest that a number of 12 interview is valid for a qualitative, but “for a longer project (an honours

thesis, a two-semester course) they might extend that slightly, but rarely to more than 20”. The total

number of the sample size for the qualitative approach is 25. The researcher used pseudonym (1

to 25) to conceal the identities of the interviewees in the body of the work. However, the

researcher named one of the interviewees who is central to the research from the News Agency

of Nigeria (NAN), and the official titles of other interviewees from the five traditional media

used in the appendixes. Below is a breakdown of the sample size of the study:

News Outlets Department Number

News Agency of Nigeria Editorial/ Admin/ICT 10
Departments
Finance 5
Department/Marketing
Leadership, Blueprint, Abuja Editors/News Editors/Line 10
Inquirer, Peoples’ Daily, Hot Editors
Fm, Vanguard, Daily Trust,
New Telegraph, Sun,
Tribune Newspapers
Total 25

56
For the quantitative approach, a sample size of two hundred and sixty-nine (269) respondents

was purposively concluded by the researcher. The researcher purposively used 269 respondents

because the inability to ascertain the current number of journalists in Abuja and the country at

large. The researcher argues that the difficulty of ascertaining these statistics probably stem

from the argument that journalism has become an all-comers profession. Besides, the

researcher employed the snowballing technique to arrive at the sample size.

The study adopted the non-probability sampling methodology. This method does not follow the

mathematical procedure of determining a sample. It is also known as convenience methodology.

Furthermore, the study will adopt the judgmental/purposive sampling technique. The population

of the study was selected because it suits the purpose of the study. Similarly, the population

possesses certain characteristics that will advance the study. It is believed that in purposive

sampling, the choice of the researcher is supreme. The idea is that a researcher chooses a

particular population purposively because the population has the features he or she is searching

as regards the research.

3.5. INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION

For the survey, questionnaire is the key instrument for data collection. The questionnaire is

designed and structured in such a way that it elicited demographic data about each respondent

and equally contain relevant research questions. Quantitative research refers to the statistical

analysis of numbers. For the interview, the researcher adopted semi-structured moderator’s

guide. It is pertinent to mention that during the interviews other questions arise from the

interviewees’ responses.

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3.6. PRE-TESTING AND VALIDATION OF INSTRUMENT

The researcher pre- tested the research instrument- the interviewer guide and the questionnaire.

This means that an attempt at using the interview and the questionnaire in the form of a pilot

study will be carried out before the research proper in order to ascertain its validity for the

study. The researcher conducted the pre-testing with journalists at the above-named media

organizations, and in the editorial, finance and marketing departments at NAN’s Headquarters

in Abuja.

3.7. ADMINISTERING INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION

Data collection for the research was carried out in two months. During this period, the

researcher conducted the interviews with twenty staff of NAN in their various media outlets in

the three departments at NAN. Participants were briefed about the topic before the interview

took place. In other words, notices were sent out two weeks before the interview date. The

interviews were tape-recorded. As mentioned earlier, the questionnaires were distributed to the

sample size through the snowballing technique of non-probability sampling method

3.8. METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

Data from the interviews were transcribed into textual format. The analysis of the data was done

thematically. The researcher searched out for codes/categories that were later formed into

themes. These themes were placed vis-à-vis the research questions. For the quantitative

approach, the data was analysed using simple percentage table (SPT)

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 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter presented, analysed and interpreted primary data that were sourced from the study

participants. It is pertinent to point out that data from this study was sourced through

quantitative and qualitative methodologies respectively. Consequently, the researcher began this

chapter with the presentation of quantitative data. It is important to point out that out of the two

hundred and sixty-nine (269) questionnaires which were administered to the respondents, two

hundred and fifty-seven (257) of the questionnaires were valid, that is, duly completed and

returned. Quantitative data are presented in tables.

4.2. ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA

This section of this research presents the qualitative data from the survey that was conducted

among the 269 sample. 257 questionnaires were duly returned, and they were crosschecked to

ensure their validity for analysis.

Table 1: Age of the respondents

Responses Frequency Percentage

18-25 50 19.45%
26-30 58 22.56%
31-35 70 27.23%
36 and above 79 30.73%
Total 257 100%
The above shows that a significant proportion of the respondents fall under the age brackets of
above 36 years, 31 to 35 years, and 26 to 30 years, respectively.

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Table 2: Gender of the respondents

Responses Frequency Percentage

Male 159 61.86%
Female 98 38.13%
Total 257 100%
Apparently, the male respondents dominate the sample size of the current study. It consists of

159 males representing 61.86%.

Table 3: Number years the respondents worked at NAN

Responses Frequency Percentage

6 months-3 years 31 12.06%
4-6 years 53 20.62%
7-10 years 89 34.63%
Above 10 years 84 32.68%
Total 257 100%
Table 3 reveals that the respondents of the study are persons who have garnered a lot of

experience in News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Among the large percentage, 89 persons

representing 34.63% has the most number of years in the organization, that is, 7 to 10 years.

32.68% of the respondents have worked above 10 years. The lesser years are 6 months to 3

years, and 4 to 6 years, respectively.

Table 4: Awareness of social media by the respondents

Responses Frequency Percentage

Yes 253 98.44%
No 4 1.55%
Total 257 100%

Going by the pervasive characteristic of social media, a huge proportion of the surveyed

respondents averred that they are aware of the existence of social media. 253 persons

representing 98.44% confirmed that they are aware of the existence of social media.

60
Table 5: Use of social media for news gathering and dissemination by respondents.

Responses Frequency Percentage

Yes 249 96.88%
No 8 3.11%
Total 257 100%
Corroborating the findings on table 4, 249 research participants, that is, 96.88% reiterate that

they use social media for news gathering and dissemination. This finding buttresses the point

that the importance of social media in the current media landscape cannot be relegated to the

background. The affordability, ease of use, and the instantaneous feature of social media has

endeared many professional to it.

Table 6: Most used social media by respondents.

Responses Frequency Percentage

Facebook 51 19.84%
Twitter 142 55.25%
Youtube 29 11.28%
WhatsApp 32 12.45%
Instagram 3 1.16%
Total 257 100%

Table 5 shows that the most used social media platforms is Twitter, that is, 55.25%, followed by

Facebook- 19.84%, and WhatsApp- 12.45%. This finding corroborates the findings of other

studies which have confirmed that Twitter has become the most used social media platform for

professional journalist. Similarly, WhatsApp has also been found to be instrumental to news

gathering and dissemination.

Table 7: Frequency of social media use by respondents.

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Responses Frequency Percentage
Daily 127 49.41%
Weekly 96 37.35%
Monthly 21 8.17%
Quarterly 13 5.05%
Total 257 100%

Media workers, especially, journalists are regarded as frontline workers. They are constantly

informing the citizenry about latest development in society. Hence, the use of social media on a

daily basis is paramount. The table above shows that a considerable percent of the research

participants use social media on a daily basis, that is, 127 respondents, representing 49.41%.

37.35% of the research sample confirmed that they use social media on a weekly basis.

Table 8: Impact of social media to media outlets subscription to NAN news

Responses Frequency Percentage

Positively 78 30.35%
Negatively 74 28.79%
Both 105 40.85%
Total 257 100%

Table 8 reveals that social media has both positive and negative impacts on media organization

subscription to NAN news content. 40.85% of the respondents reiterates that social media has

affected NAN in both ways. Consequently, this revelation points to the argument that social

media may not cause the demise of conventional media as some media scholars have argued.

Instead social media will play a complementary role to the mainstream media. In other words,

both media complement one another.

Table 9: NAN use of social media

Responses Frequency Percentage

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Yes 119 46.30%
No 138 53.69%
Total 257 100%

As previously stated, social media and conventional media will continue to complement each

other. Table 9 shows that to some extent, NAN, a conventional media organization sources it

news from social media. 119 respondents, that is, 46.30% states that they subscribe to social

media news. However, 53.69% says that they do not. Comparing both statistics, it is right to

argue that the proportion of respondents that said “No” is not significant enough compared to

the number of persons that said “Yes”. Hence, social media still play a vital role in news

gathering and dissemination in both media.

Table 10: Reliability of social media news content

Responses Frequency Percentage

Yes 92 35.79%
No 88 34.24%
Sometimes 77 29.96%
Total 257 100%

The finding from table 10 argues that social media news content is reliable as 35.79% of the

sample size averred that social media news contents is reliable. On the other, 34.24% of the

respondents indicate that social media news contents are not reliable, and 29.96% states that the

social media news count could be reliable sometimes.

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 Table 11: Challenges of social media to the NAN

Responses Frequency Percentage

Menace of fake news 101 39.26%
Dwindling revenue 82 31.90%
Quack Journalism 74 14.04%
Total 257 100%

The table above reveals that the menace of fake news is a major challenge to the News Agency

of Nigeria (NAN) in terms of social media use. 101 respondents representing 39.26% states that

the issue of fake news is a great concern. Unlike the conventional media that is guided and

guarded by the rigorous principle of gate-keeping, the social media is open, and anyone could

create and post any news content. Consequently, it is difficult to verify true stories from fake

ones. 31.90% confirmed that social media has affected the revenue of the NAN, while 14.04%

of the research participants averred that social media has birthed quack journalism.

4.3. ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA

Quantitative data from the study have been presented in tables as revealed above. It is pertinent

to reiterate that this study employed mixed methodology. This part of the research analyzed data

emanating from the qualitative approach- interviews. The reason for a qualitative approach as

noted earlier is to further strengthen findings from the quantitative survey. Qualitative data

analysis revealed some overarching themes across the interviews.

 Prevalence of social media use- Twitter

The qualitative analysis of data revealed the above theme as one of the common themes in the

transcripts of the 25 interviews. Almost all the 25 interviewees made mention of social media,

precisely, Twitter as a platform that the NAN uses in its operations. Besides, all of them pointed

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out that they use social media in their operation, to gather and source for news story. All of

them revealed that they pick stories in the Twitter handles of prominent people and newsmaker,

which they heavily rely on. Almost all the news makers and prominent people in government

and outside the government has their Twitter account, and all the interviewees said they monitor

their Twitter account regularly. According to interviewee 6, social media is an essential part of

the organization:

You know, this is a very serious News Agency, so there is a

limit to which we see social media. We use it, we have Twitter
Account, we have Facebook Account but those are not our
main channel of communicating with the world, because we
source for news, authentic news, genuine news.

In the words of interviewer 7, online media presence is very important today, and most media

outlets have strong online presence on social media.

But we have Twitter Account, because we service serious clients,

Newspapers across the country, television stations, radio stations.
So, we have a dedicated portal, any story we are publishing goes
there, so those who are our clients, who are subscribing to NAN
have access, they go there and pick the news. We don't disseminate
our news items primarily on social media, on Twitter but we use
social media...

Interviewee 2 believes that the use of social media by the NAN has enabled it to attract public

attention, and importance; hence, social media may be described as a image booster.

I think we are deriving from the social media, the level to

which we use it. By and large, I think people have contacted
us through social media, they see information about us and
either they want to do business with us or they want to buy
into our products. There have been instances like that.
In a way, it helps to attract public attention to NAN.

On the other hand, interviewee 8 opines that social media is a veritable tool for any serious

journalists. She went further to comment that social media has made news stories cheaper and

closer to the masses:

Definitely, every reporter who knows what he is doing now

must use social media, because now, most of the prominent
people they have their Facebook Account, they have their
Twitter Account. Even the President, if he does something,
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 on his own even if it is two paragraphs, he puts there. So, a
reporter who knows what he was doing must be connected
either through accessing NAN Twitter Account, to be able
to monitor. Those who are in charge, I am sure they must be
following as many people as possible on the NAN Twitter
Account. And once you are following, if those people post
any information, it comes to our own NAN account.

Interviewee 18 said, “we rely to some degree on social media for some of our stories, but we

have selections,” while according to interviewee 17:

We have social media handles which we use in highlighting some of

the stories on our websites and we also have a functional website,
we also scout the social media space to look at news that
what the citizens are commenting on especially on twitter, to this
extent we have a robust social media engagement.

Interviewee 16 said “the social media handles have become very helpful, we check it for stories

that are breaking, follow some prominent Nigerians on twitter handle, then we also check

Facebook."

Interviewee 21 said:

Before the advent of social media, NAN was the only online we
subscribed to for dependable, credible, accurate and reliable
local and sometimes, foreign stories. But at present, we have other
sources due to emergence of social media, such as Twitter, most
especially. When a prominent figure twits, we may not bother to
check such on NAN. So, to some small level, social media affect
our earlier 100 per cent reliance on NAN.” In the same vain,
interviewee 22, stated that “we deploy the use of all social
media platforms effectively in order to carry all categories of our
readers along. Precisely, we promote most of our content we find
out that it would interest our readers most. We do this using Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram and lately Thread.”

According to interviewee 23:

My organization mostly relies on social media for breaking news.

It visits various online media and blogs very often. The most
effective is Twitter. We deploy the use of Twitter, and as reporters,
we have Twitter account of most prominent Nigerians. Yes, just
because social media is faster and a bit reliable if you are picking
from the news source handle directly. Example of this is picking
a story material from the Twitter handle of a minister during an
ongoing meeting.” Interviewee 24 also supported this view when
66
 she said: “The SUN posts stories on all its social media platforms
and updates them as soon as there are new developments to stories
posted. The SUN has a solid presence on Facebook, followed by
Twitter and YouTube. The reporters also use these devices to
source for stories, most especially the Twitter.”
 Monstrous fake news

Despite the positive impact of social media on the operation of NAN, the analysis of qualitative

data revealed that the issue of fake news is still tied to social media. In the transcript of the data,

fake news was identified more than 65 times. Thus, the researcher avers that fake news is major

challenge that the NAN encounter in the course of their using social media for their job. For

instance, interviewee 1 explains the integrity of the NAN’s news compared to the porous nature

of social media news:

That is why till today, if people see something trending, information about
Nigeria for instance on the social media, or in any of these online media,
until when they can authoritatively hear that NAN has also dispersed the
information, many of them would not believe it. Even if they believe it,
it may be just 30 per cent believability. But the moment NAN now
broadcast it and disseminated it as news, then immediately people will
start to believe that the news is true, that NAN has carried it. Even all
the media will be crediting NAN. So, the level we engage social media,
we are very careful because of the way it has been bastardized.

According to interviewee 9, social media news is reckless, and it is a threat to journalism due to

its lack of rigorous gate-keeping principles:

But initially everybody saw social media as a threat. Actually, it

is a threat to journalism, the normal traditional media we use to
know. In those days you can't write a story without proper verification,
cross checking and confirming that it is true because you know
the implication, defamation, slander and others. But now, with social
media, there is too much recklessness in the dissemination of news
through social media. Human being out there quickly wants to
hear information whether it is authentic or not can be secondary.
That is not good for journalism profession.

Interviewee 18 declared that they are weary of some social platforms because of the fear of fake

news. “It is not every social media platform that we subscribe to because of the ongoing issues

with fake news and issues that go with it.”

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 To interviewee 16, however, social media have not drastically reduced their reliance on NAN

because of the prevalence of fake news in social media:

No, it has not reduced the reliance on News agency, because you know
there’s this serious issue of fake news, you will get more of it on social
media. So, you’ll even be surprised that you’ll find such news items on
the facebook wall or in Instagram of prominent people. People that you
think ought to be more informed. So, if you are not careful, you will run
into trouble like I said earlier. So, the advent of social media has not
reduced our dependency on NAN copies, it is just compliments.

Interviewee 16 added:

But the thing is that we can’t just pick news and rely on it. By the time
you pick it, you need to verify, because almost everybody is a journalist
on social media, you just have to cross check otherwise you get into
trouble the next day.

Also, interviewee 22 added his voice to the spread of fake news as a result of social media

presence, when he stated that:

No, the usage of social media has not in any way affected our relationship
with NAN. This is because we're in the era where fake news is rampant.
We get our news reliably from our reporters who are on the field to get
first-hand information or get it from NAN. Before the advent of new media,
we had our reporters across all 36 States. When the new media emerged,
we didn't discard the tradition because we felt it is important to guide and
guard against the issue of fake news that are flying around on Social Media.

Interviewee 25 added:

You can be sure that NAN stories are reliable than that of general social
media, except the stories you pick directly from the news source handle
himself. You can’t compare the story on these online media to NAN
stories. As an editor, you cannot just see a story on any online medium
or blogs and rely on it. Fake news is all over the place on the social
media, and a credible medium like Tribune cannot do that, we would
rather go to NAN to source for news stories.

 Paucity of revenue

The current study discovered that apparently, the emergence of social media has affected the

revenue of the NAN. Besides, according to interviewee 1, before the advent of social media the

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NAN used to boast as a major sole originator of news content; however, that ego has been

battered by social media:

It has been very heavy. In terms of patronage, in all honesty people are
subscribing to us but we cannot make "shakara" (boast) much like we
used to do before. Yes, before we can recall that any media house that
wants to survive in Nigeria must subscribe to NAN, they rely on NAN
heavily. Though that is still there but you find that the trend of
journalism is going online now. There are many newspapers
publishing online than hard copy in the country and it is just like this
all over the world.

Similar to the narration of interview 1, In a separate thought, interviewee 5 points out how the

NAN is gradually losing its relevance in the industry, and today it has to go after media

organizations for them to subscribe to its news content:

Before, there is hardly any responsible newspaper in Nigeria that will

not subscribe to NAN, how will they survive? When they want to take
off, they will invest so much in labour cost and later they realize that
they can't pay. The News Agency of Nigeria is a reporter that gives you
stories on all aspect of human endeavours. So, any newspaper coming up
whether through a consultant or something, the first thing they do is that
they factor in NAN budget into their planning. It was almost automatic,
that almost all the newspapers and media houses in Nigeria at that time
subscribed to NAN; but today reasonably, it is not the same. Some of
them, we have to go after them ourselves, to encourage them to come
and subscribe. Before, they make it a point to come, they still come, but
if you look at the growth of media industry and how we are supposed to
be, it has affected us, it has affected our operations somehow.

Furthermore, interviewee 1 paints a vivid picture of what the NAN subscription fee used to be

before the current upsurge of social media. In addition, he also buttresses the fact that currently,

most subscribers are unable to pay the required fees. The subscribers’ inability to pay the

required fee may be connected to the option that social media gives them as an alternative

source for news:

There was a time we were charging subscribers over N1million but

with the trend now we realize that a lot of the newspapers, whether
online are also in distress, they are not making much money and as
long as we also want to make money we a also desire that the media
industry in Nigeria will continue to be vibrant because it is when
they are like that authentic information dissemination to Nigerians
69
 to avoid trouble can happen. So, we found that subscription to our
service has not really decline much but in terms of payment only
few are able to pay our normal rate. Many of them have serious
challenges of payment. As you can see all these files, three of them
are for disconnection from our service because of non-payment.
From my assessment, the industry is in serious threat.

Interviewee 3 did a clear comparison of before and now in terms of the NAN revenue and

concluded that social media has caused a huge decline in its revenue:

There is no doubt that it has affected us somehow in terms of revenue generation from news,
from all news it has affected us. If you look at the ratio in the past to what we generate now, it
might look much, but compare to the number of clients that were paying that amount in those
day, I think it has affected our income.

However, despite the dwindling revenue of the NAN due to the dominance of social media in

news stories generation and dissemination, the organization has devised other means of

attracting more revenue to augment the impact of revenue decline caused by social media.

Interviewee 4 confirmed that:

Actually, it is a little difficult to determine precisely. But there is

no doubt that it has affected our revenue generation from the
news products. It is to pre-empt that, that we too started
introducing some other products that are not necessarily news
based. So, we have what we call non-media products, we have
some by-products of news stories too. Even if from the sales of
news, the revenue might go down, we are able to make up from
others. Like today we have what we call SMS news. Definitely,
it is a by-product from stories, that one has nothing to do with
any newspaper or TV station or something. We do it on GSM.

Interviewee 17, said his media organisation stopped subscribing to NAN because of paucity of

fund, but deploy the use of other social media. He said the organisation subscribed to NAN until

last year when it stopped. According to him:

Yes, we used to do until this year. We stopped due to the issue of

funding and primarily because of the limited geographical spread
of our newspapers which does not lay focus on FCT but also just
the adjourning states and we have correspondents that are doing well
in that regard. Also, we now have opportunities to use social media,
but we only need to crosscheck the facts very well before we go to the
press. But fundamentally the issue of cost is one major issue.

Also, interviewee 16 said:

70
 I think in terms of the subscription in the last two or three years, we
have witnessed some slight changes in rates but I think it hasn’t gone
down. Rather, we have run into debt because the company has
challenges. We ran into debt because we have not changed the
subscription, but I remember that at a point in 2017, we were owing
NAN about six million Naira (N6 million) and that was because they
know that things were not good. The relationship was there, because we
subscribe for news items, we also subscribe for photos.

 Credibility and reliability of NAN

One particular central theme favourable to NAN is the credibility of its materials which editors

still rely on to subscribe to despite the prevalence of social media. Though the use of social

media might have reduced their 100 per cent reliance, credibility has stands NAN out.

Interviewee 18 put it succinctly:

NAN is credible and no matter how competitive, till tomorrow, NAN

will be relied on for some of their news stories because of the need
for credibility. We know that NAN is an establishment under the
Federal Government. We can go to them; we can speak with their
reporters to clarify issues, but for some of these platforms that you
can hardly identify their locations, we hardly depend on them for
key stories, except that sometimes when we see a flash of stories
from those platforms.

Interviewee 17 also said NAN materials are very credible, reliable, and dependable because of

its wide coverage:

I think it's a great resource for any newspaper because it has the widest
reach in terms of correspondents in almost all the local government areas
in Nigeria, and because of its speed in having news updated on its sites,
you know it is of great value and it still remains of great value because
there are limitations to which you should depend on social media when
reporting the news, because theirs (NAN) is verifiable, it has balance
and it is authentic, and all the necessary ingredients of news are taken
into consideration, there is gate keeping generally unlike what you find
on social media. So, it is of great value, especially for those that can
afford it.

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Reliance on some NAN materials is one of the themes common in the interviews, as some of

them still depend on NAN in their day to day operations. Interviewee 18 said:

We are customers to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). We rely on

NAN and of course, other credible media platforms for some of our
key stories. The subscription is ongoing, and I can tell you that we
rely on some of their stories for our key news items.

But interviewee 16 said his media organisation rely more on NAN than other social media. He

said:

We rely more on NAN, if I am not using my reporters’ story. I rely

more on NAN, I only use the social media to check what I may be
missing then do some follow up. In fact, I may see a story on
facebook, I will go to NAN, type in the key words and see, if they
don’t have the copy I will also follow up with my reporter, make
calls and other. it has been very helpful, especially in what I would
call integrated newsroom, that is, the online and newspaper. It works
this way, for the online especially, for you to keep the traffic coming
in you need to update at least by ten minutes interval, without the
help of the NAN subscription we would not be able to keep up,
because how many reporters do you have on ground and how early
do their stories come in. So, in that regard the NAN subscription is
very helpful.

Also, on the reliance on NAN, Interviewee 16 added:

Then we used to do SMS on all their breaking news. They would

send us SMS, and we had about 30 senior colleagues then, all the
title editors, line editors, the management staff, they are all on NAN
SMS subscription. So, at a point some people left here and we had
to go and review that subscription but we still rely on them because
I may not be online, but I get their SMS to date, as they are posting
their stories they would send SMS that a story is there, so it helps a
lot.

Interviewee 24 said the usage of social media has not affected their reliance on NAN because

NAN is reliable. The interviewee said: “No, and this is as a result of NAN credibility and

reliability. We still rely on NAN because it is credible, though such reliance may have reduced

than the pre-social media era.” When asked to compare their source of news from social media

with that of NAN, interviewee 25 also added:

You can be sure that NAN stories are reliable than that of general social
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 media, except the stories you pick directly from the news source handle
himself. You can’t compare the story on these online media to NAN
stories. As an editor, you cannot just see a story on any online medium
or blogs and rely on it. Fake news is all over the place on the social
media, and a credible medium like us cannot do that, we would rather
go to NAN… Not at all. Though, we cannot compare it to the 1990s
and early 20s, when all eyes to get stories apart from your field
reporters are on NAN, we still rely on NAN and regularly subscribe to
it. We may not rely on their stories fully like before, but the social
media impact has not heavily affected our reliance on NAN. It is
neither here nor there, we pick from most reliable social media handle,
such as Twitters of prominent figures and news makers and we also
pick some stories from NAN, to help our work.

 Decline/Reduce subscription

Overall, all the interviewees emphasized reduced subscription to NAN due to many factors,

particularly the use of social media. From their responses it is clear that social media has

actually led to reduction in subscription to NAN materials. Responding to a question on whether

the coming of social media has primarily led to decline in subscription to NAN, interviewee 1

said:

Yes, very low, it is there, it is a factor. Before, any newspaper coming

up whether through a consultant or something, the first thing they

do is that they factor in NAN budget into their planning. It was
almost automatic that almost all the newspapers and media houses
in Nigeria at that time subscribed to NAN, but today reasonably, it
is not the same. Some of them, we have to go after them ourselves,
to encourage them to come and subscribe. Before, they make it a
point to come.

Similarly, interviewee 18 declared:

Yes, because just like any other thing, when there is competition there
is a likely hood that certain changes will come in. Before now, NAN
and some other platforms like Premium Times and the rest of them
have been keenly used, but with the advent of social media platforms,
sometimes you can get credible news from social media platforms
such as Twitter, facebook and the rest of them.

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Interviewee 18, however, further explained that though, there is reduction in subscription to

NAN, but in terms of per centage, the reduction has not been too much:

I wouldn't have the figure to compare in percentages. Well if

you place it on 100%, I can say 50% of our stories then were
from NAN and by now it could be 40%; but I can tell you that
the percentage has not reduced drastically because like I told you,
it is the issue of credibility. NAN is credible and no matter how
competitive, till tomorrow, NAN will be relied on for some of
their news stories. Whether you like it or not, the advent of social
media has affected some things even in a little way, not to greater
degree and therefore, the patronage of NAN will be a little less
than what it used to be.

Interviewee 17 said the use of social media has reduced the use of NAN by media organisations.

He said:

Yes, greatly because even on government press statements and releases,

even individuals now make policy statements through their social media
especially twitter. And some agencies still have very robust social media
pages as well. So those are great resources which any serious media
organisation can rely on to get authentic news. Even before now, it has
greatly impacted on how much dependency one has on the NAN.

Interviewee 17 also added:

I would say the cost implications on us has greatly reduced because

you can also find very good pictures online. Let me give you an
instance of one agency that I think is doing very well, the Federal
Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, they have a very
active twitter handle and can also find the sort of pictures you require
for your news. So, relying solely on News Agency of Nigeria, no longer
works.

According to interviewee 21 the coming of social media has reduced their 100 per cent reliance

and subscription to NAN a bit but it has not significantly affected it because NAN is still

reliable. He said:

It has not, because NAN is more reliable. Though there are other
sources as credible too that we use in this era. This may reduce our
100% reliance on NAN like before, but we still use NAN and rely
on it. It may have reduced a bit, so the subscription too has reduced a
bit, compare to those days before social media.

74
 Interviewee 23 also said, “my organization used and strongly relied on NAN news materials

before the advent of the new media but patronage of NAN news has drastically reduced. It is the

area of credibility of stories that NAN still has an edge.”

While analyzing the subscription of her medium before the advent of social media to the present

day of social media, interviewee 24 said:

Since we can pick story directly from the source on Twitter or

Instagram, I can say that it is easier, cost effective for us than relying
heavily on NAN all the time like it used to be before the social media.
A story picked from a Twitter handle of the President himself or head
of agency will does not need any confirmation. We don’t need to wait for
NAN to authenticate it like it used to be before. So, media organisations
like ours largely depended on NAN, being a government agency during
that era for such stories unlike now. So, definitely, you can’t compare the
subscription of that era to the present. Social media has reduced that.

Also, interviewee 25 said:

This has been explained, as I said. Normally there must be reduction in

this era due to additional usage of new media such as Twitter, Instagram
and other reliable social media handle of news maker themselves. In
those year, we completely relied on NAN, with special section and
workers devoted and assigned to monitor NAN continuously. In those
days, you cannot ignore NAN till your paper goes to bed, in order not
to miss important stories but today, you prefer to monitor social media,
such as Twitter and other platforms. There is no way social media would
not have bit effect on the usage of NAN today in any media organization.
As news is breaking, people are publishing on various medium and
platform immediately.

4.4. INTERPRETATION OF DATA

After presenting both the quantitative and qualitative data generated from the quantitative and

qualitative exploration, it is paramount that the researcher tied both ends of the study together

by answering the research questions. Three research questions were formulated to direct this

research:

 To what extent does the News Agency of Nigeria use the new media?

75
 What are the benefits of using the new media to the News Agency of Nigeria?

 What are the challenges NAN encounters while using the new media?

These three research questions were answered one after the other in order to clearly discuss

findings from the study.

Research Question One: To what extent does the News Agency of Nigeria use the new

media?

Overall, the current study found that to a considerable extent the NAN uses social media for its

operation. In table 5, 249 research participants, that is, 96.88% of the entire sample reiterates

that they use social media for news gathering and dissemination. Furthermore, a table 6 show

that the most used social media platforms is Twitter, that is, 55.25%. This finding corroborates

the findings of other studies which have confirmed that Twitter has become the most used social

media platform for professional journalist, i.e. Salman et al. (2011), The Impact of New Media

on Traditional Mainstream Mass Media; Oliha, F. & Arthur, S. (2014), A study of news and

information media usage in Nigeria; and Diamond, L. (20IO), Twitter wonder tactics. Also, a

major theme in the qualitative approach of this study is “The Prevalence of Social Media Use-

Twitter”. The qualitative analysis of data revealed the above theme is a significant theme in the

transcripts of the 20 interviews. Almost all the 20 interviewees made mention of social media,

precisely, Twitter as a platform that the NAN uses in its operations. This finding buttresses the

point that the importance of social media in the current media landscape, both old and new

cannot be relegated to the background. Table 9 shows that to some extent, NAN, a conventional

media organization sources it news from social media. 119 respondents, that is, 46.30% states

that they subscribe to social media news.

Research Question Two: What are the benefits of using the new media to the News Agency

of Nigeria?
76
To answer this research question, reference is made to table 8 which reveals that social media

has both positive and negative impacts on media organization subscription to NAN news

content. 40.85% of the respondents reiterate that social media has affected NAN in both ways.

Consequently, this revelation points to the argument that social media may not cause the demise

of conventional media as some media scholars have argued. Instead social media will play a

complementary role to the mainstream media. In other words, both media complement one

another. Under the theme “The Prevalence of Social Media”, Interviewee 9 narrates how the use

of social media by the NAN has enabled the organization to attract public attention, and

importance; hence, social media may be described as an image booster. Besides, table 10 shows

that social media news content is reliable as 35.79% of the sample size averred that social media

news contents is reliable.

Research Question Three: What are the challenges NAN encounters while using the new media?

In the quantitative analysis, Table 11 revealed that the menace of fake news is a major challenge

to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in terms of social media use. 101 respondents

representing 39.26% states that the issue of fake news is a great concern. Unlike the

conventional media that is guided and guarded by the rigorous principle of gate-keeping, the

social media is open, and anyone could create and post any news content. Consequently, it is

difficult to verify true stories from fake ones. Furthermore, 31.90% confirmed that social media

has affected the revenue of the NAN, while 14.04% of the research participants averred that

social media has birthed quack journalism. In terms of the qualitative approach, the theme,

“Monstrous Fake News” elaborates the huge challenge of fake news to the NAN use of social

media. Hence, despite the positive impact of social media on the operation of NAN, the analysis

of qualitative data revealed that the issue of fake news is still tied to social media. In the

transcript of the data, fake news was identified more than 65 times. Thus, the researcher avers

77
that fake news is major challenge that the NAN encounter in the course of their using social

media for its operation.

4.5. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

In regard to this study, its primary or main objective investigates to what extent the new media

has influenced the revenue of News Agency of Nigeria. The study employed mixed

methodology- quantitative survey and the interviewing method. The study surveyed 269

respondents out of which 257 valid questionnaires were returned and analysed, and 20

interviews were conducted with staff NAN and Editors from five other media organisations

Overall, findings from the study reveal that to a large extent the new or social media has

affected the revenue of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Mainly, this is due to the affordability

and ease of use of social media. Similarly, results from the quantitative study also revealed that

NAN employs the use of social media in its operation. Precisely, both the quantitative and

qualitative study revealed that the most used social media by the organization is Twitter.

However, it was found that despite the positive impact of social media, the organization

grapples with the menace of fake news. Predominantly, through both lenses of the study- the

quantitative and qualitative approach, the study found that social media propels fake news. In

the qualitative transcript the researcher spotted fake news more than 65 times; hence the

interviewees regularly connect social media to fake news during the interviews. As stated

earlier on, the study concludes that to a considerable degree, social media has caused the

revenue of NAN to dwindle.

4.6. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

78
Overall, the current study revealed that social media has negatively impacted the revenue of

NAN. As previously stated, a significant number of the reviewed literature tilted towards

newspaper and social media as whole; hence, the considerable gap in the study domain. The

research corroborated some of the related studies that have conducted in the research area. For

instance, the study corroborates Talabi’s (2011) which found that the Internet is much more

interesting as it provides journalists with multimedia platforms and access to varied news

sources. It is paramount to reiterate that this research made similar discovery.

Similarly, the current research found that social media plays a complementary role in sustaining

the broadcast media; thus both the new media and the old media co-exist. In Salman et al.

(2011), The Impact of New Media on Traditional Mainstream Mass Media, the authors

discovered that the advent of social media may have some challenge to conventional. However,

in tandem with the current findings, the scholars argued that just as radio and television did not

replace newspapers, the presence of social media will also not conventional media; they will

continue to co-exist. In other words, the effect of the social media on conventional media is still

manageable and since some mainstream media have online versions, they will continue to

reinforce each other.

This study also found that social media news is reliable; thus, enhancing the productivity of

journalists. Similarly, Ismail’s (2012) study on how Nigerian journalists use social media to

source stories found that Nigerian journalists are excited about the new opportunities social

media have offered to them. Social media is helping journalists to conveniently carry out their

duties of news monitoring, gathering and dissemination. Thus, they are able to explore various

sites on regular basis to source for trending and breaking reports.

It is pertinent to point out that the researcher also found that NAN utilize Twitter the most

because of its affordability. Oliha, F. and Arthur, S. (2014), also found that a majority of the

respondents in their study preferred the online media to the conventional media because the

79
former is affordable, immediate, interactive, available and convenient. This is to say that

journalists are beginning to discern the importance of social media in their daily task.

However, the social media has its downside. The study revealed that the menace of fake news is

all over social media. For instance, the study uncovered that the challenge of fake is common on

WhatsApp. Udenze (2018) made similar discovery. According to the latter scholar, the openness

of social media, that is, the lack of gate-keeping process is making junks to find their place to

the conventional media. Thus, media outlets have to brace up to tackle the challenge.

80
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter is the last chapter of this study; the summary, conclusion and recommendations for

the study were discussed. In addition to this, the study’s contribution to knowledge and

suggestions for further research were elaborated.

5.2. SUMMARY

The emergence of ICT has tremendously impacted journalism. The exchange of information has

become cheaper, faster and convenient by the day. The use of social networking sites like

Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, among others, has become a common phenomenon

among media organizations. Indeed, the new/social media has become the preferred medium for

the dissemination of information in media houses. With the increasing adoption of social media

technology for journalism, it becomes imperative to investigate the extent to which social media

has impacted the revenue of NAN. To achieve this, the researcher formulated a number of

research objectives, namely, to what extent does the News Agency of Nigeria use the new

media? What are the benefits of using the new media to the News Agency of Nigeria? What are

the challenges NAN encounters while using the new media?

The technology determinism theory and the diffusion of innovation theory were adopted as

theoretical supports for the study as it revealed from the review of scholarly literature that the

research was useful in filling the gap in the literature regarding social media and its impact on
81
 the revenue of News Agency of Nigeria. Methodologically, the study adopted a mixed

methodology, better still, a dual methodology. For the quantitative method, the researcher

employed a quantitative survey design while the interviewing method was adopted for the

qualitative approach. A sample size of 269 staff of NAN was purposively drawn from different

part of the country through snowballing technique. For the interview, 20 staff of NAN and

Editors/News Editors of other media organisations were interviewed thoroughly. After the

analyses of both qualitative and quantitative data, it was discovered that:

 To a large extent, social media has negatively impacted the revenue of NAN. This is the major

finding from the study. This discovery buttresses the point that social media, precisely, Twitter

is revolutionising journalism.

 To a significant extent, the NAN uses the social media for news sourcing and dissemination.

 The qualitative and quantitative approach uncovered the dominance of Twitter in the process of

news gathering and dissemination.

 The approach also established that there is a reduction to NAN subscription due to social media

usage.

 Further, the study found that the menace of fake news is a huge challenge in using social media.

Particularly, the interviews revealed the common connection between social media and fake

news.

Minor findings from the research include:

 A larger percentage of the research participants own personal computers and smartphones.

 Overall, the participants strongly averred that social media has revolutionised journalism, and

social media news is still reliable to some extent and to a considerable extent, the respondents

have firmly embraced the use of social media in their work.

 There are more males in the sample compared to females. Also, a good percentage of the

respondents have worked in NAN for over six to 10 years.

82
 5.3. CONCLUSION

Being social media savvy is a habit that every outlet and journalists have imbibed. Over time

there has been the argument that social media is bad. But the power to make any medium good

or bad resides in the use to which they put. Media professionals need to bear it at the back of

their mind that the revolution of new media is just starting. The profession will constantly

evolve as long as there is technological advancement in information and communication

technologies. From the review of literature, Nigerian society is lagging behind in realising the

powers of social media in journalism. It is clear from the study that social media is proliferating

in the country to invigorate some features of the mainstream journalism practices. Therefore,

the need to enlighten Nigerian media practitioners on the proper use of social media is just

apparent. As a result, a proper synergy between social media and modern journalism is

recommended to ascertain the best way(s) forward for effective and efficient journalism

practices in the country. This way, a proper harmony of the strength and weaknesses of these

two significant trends in journalism will be established.

5.4. RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are made based on the findings of the research.

 Overall, NAN should properly harness the potential of social media as an alternative to seeking

revenue. The current study found that social media has negatively affected its revenue, and it is

important that the organization taps from the potential of social media in order to remain

relevant.

 Media practitioners should desist from promoting unverified information on social media. As the

custodians of the fourth estate of the realm, journalists perform a critical function in society;

hence, they should be socially responsible.

83
 This study also recommends that training on the use of social media for journalists should be

conducted routinely by media houses. The new media space is constantly advancing, and there

is a need to keep journalists abreast with the latest innovations.

 Social media could be addictive; it is recommended that journalists should exercise some caution

in the use of social media. They should know when and what to share.

5.5. CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE

Despite the limitations of this study, it is believed that findings from the current study add

significantly to the body of knowledge in social media and journalism studies, particularly on

how new media has impacted the News Agencies. Also, from the research design to theoretical

frameworks, the study has equally made vital contributions to knowledge. Discoveries from the

study argue that social media has caused the dwindling revenue of NAN. Notably, in Nigeria,

this study has produced a scholarly contribution. There is a dearth of research on social media

and news agencies to the best of my knowledge. This research serves as reference material to

scholars and policymakers.

5.6. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

The researcher recommends further research directions. The scope and delimitation of this

dissertation allowed the researcher to investigate some relevant aspects of the study. For

instance, a study involving a larger sample size would be appropriate to explore. Also, it would

be worthwhile to ascertain the impact of other social media platforms on broadcast journalism

or how freelance bloggers have impacted journalism. In addition to this, as little knowledge

exists in the literature about the impact of social media on the operations of news agencies,

further studies should be carried out in the research area.

84
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 University of Abuja
PMB 117, Airport Road, Gwagwalada, Nigeria.

Programme: M.A. Media Arts

Research Questionnaire
The questions below are in respect of an academic research being conducted on the topic: “ The
Impact of the New Media on the Traditional Media: A Study of the News Agency of Nigeria”.
Please, you are to answer the questions as objectively as possible by ticking your preferred
responses. Answers provided are for academic purpose. Your confidentiality is guaranteed.

1. Age?

a.18 – 25 b. 26 – 30 c. 31 – 35 d. 35 and above

2. Gender?

a. Male b. Female

3. How many years have you worked in NAN?

a. 6 months –3 years b. 4 – 6 years c. 7 – 10 years

d. 10 years and above

4. Are you aware of the new/social media?

a. Yes b. No

5. Do you use the new media in news gathering and dissemination?

a. Yes b. No

6. Which of these social media platforms do NAN use the most?

89
a. Facebook b. Twitter c. Youtube d. WhatsApp e. Instagram

7. How often do you use the new media in news gathering processes?

a. Daily b. Weekly c. Monthly d. Quarterly

8. How has the social media affected other media subscriptions to NAN stories?

a. positively b. negatively c. both

9. Does NAN get some of its stories from the social media platform?

a. Yes b. No

10. Are stories from the social media reliable?

a. Yes b. No c. Reliable sometime

11. What are the challenges of social media to NAN?

a. Menace of fake news b. Dwindling revenue c. Quack Journalism

90
 APPENDIX I

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA (NAN) MEMBERS OF

STAFF

1. How would you describe the primary functions of News Agency of Nigeria?

2. In carrying out these functions, how do you deploy the use of social media?

3. Please describe the extent to which you use the new media in your services?

4. In using the new media, are there benefits that your organization derives? Please highlight
these benefits.

5. To what extent has the new media affected the operation of NAN?

6. Since the advent of new media, what are the challenges you encounter? Describe these
challenges.

7. How would you describe the level of subscription to NAN materials before the advent of the
social media and the present era, with the coming of social media?

8. Has the new media affected the level to which other media outlets subscribe to your news
stories? Please expatiate on this?

9.Specifically, will you say the level has declined, increase or remains the same?

10. Can you holistically paint the picture of NAN’s revenue in this era of new media bearing in
mind that your organization sells news?

11. In terms of figures, can you give us the idea of fund generation for some period before the
advent of new media and now?

12. Specifically, has the social media caused any dwindling of your revenue? Please elaborate
on your response.

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 APPENDIX II

INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR OTHER TRADITIONAL MEDIA

1. In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?

2. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

3. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?

4. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?

5. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?

6. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?

7. In terms of financial implication, how much do you pay to NAN for some period before the
advent of the new media and the current period after the advent of new media?

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 APPENDIX III:

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING, NAN,

MR. BIOLA LAWAL- INTERVIEWEE 1

Question: How will you describe the primary function of News Agency of Nigeria?

Answer: The News Agency of Nigeria was established primarily to provide the nation and the
world positive information about Nigeria because the trend then was that the international News
Agencies that focus on Africa, look for Negative only, as if nothing good is happening here, as
if there is no development. So, to balance the flow of information, most of the African countries
resolved to establish their News Agencies, that will have access to information. We are not
rubber stamped, we have cross section of opinion from the society that are packaged and
disseminated to Nigerians and to the entire world, so people have very clear picture, truthful,
and honest picture of what is happening in Nigeria both in terms of development, governmental
system and others. So, NAN was established to provide balance information about Nigeria,
truthful, honest and balance information about Nigeria and what is happening here, the
government, the people, our culture and all facets of human endeavour to the world.

Question: In carrying out this function, how do you deploy the use of social media?

Answer: You know, this is a very serious News Agency, so there is a limit to which we use
social media. We use it, we have Twitter Account, we have Facebook Account but those are not
our main channel of communicating with the world, because we source for news, authentic
news, genuine news. That is why till today, if people see something trending, information about
Nigeria for instance on the social media, or in any of these online media, until when they can
authoritatively hear that NAN has also dispersed the information, many of them would not
believe it. Even if they believe it, it may be just 30 per cent believability. But the moment NAN
now broadcast it and disseminated it as news, then immediately people will start to believe that
the news is true, that NAN has carried it. Even all the media will be crediting NAN.

Question: Since the advent of new or social media, what are the challenges you have
encountered?

Answer: It has been very heavy. In terms of patronage, in all honesty people are subscribing to
us but we cannot make "shakara" (boast) much like we used to do before. Yes, before we can
recall that any media house that wants to survive in Nigeria must subscribe to NAN, they rely
on NAN heavily. Though that is still there but you find that the trend of journalism is going
online now. There are many newspapers publishing online than hard copy in the country and it
is just like this all over the world. Take the popular PM News for instance, it was very
prestigious but today, it is no longer publishing hard copy it is publishing online and it is still
going stronger. So, the challenge we have is that through this social media people disseminating
information by themselves, our sources. A minister for instance, before has no means of talking
to people by himself. It is either he sends for NAN or NTA, but now, he doesn't need to send
for NAN; on his Twitter Account, he just pushes it to the world. So, in a way, it has undermined
93
our authority and kind of monopoly. It has provided even publisher with so many alternatives of
getting news, and stories, even authentic stories. If you are following Mr. President now,
whatever he posted on his Twitter Account is authentic, you can use it without any fear at all.
So, with that situation and we are here, we have to scramble just like them. So, you find that a
lot of media organisations get information outside our reach and scope through the social media.
I see them as problem sometimes because there are media organization that may not even want
to subscribe to us, and will say they are surviving, and why do we need NAN? But they need
NAN because the reach we have, nobody else has it in the country. So, if you want to be a
respectable newspaper and media organization that has enough authentic and true news stories
to give out to people, your listeners, your viewers, or your readers, you need NAN, there is no
way out of it. But the threat there is that there is no way it will not impact on our service
because social media have provided too many free information to people. When people buy
papers this day, like if they give me paper now, before I will have time to start reading it page to
page, like we used to do in the past, if I joined Opera News, I just press my button and see all
what is happening at a glance. So, the flow of information to people is so heavy now, almost
free of charge on social media. So, it endangers all organisations in the business of news, not
only NAN.

Question: How will you describe the level of subscription to NAN's materials by the other news
media before the advent of social media and the present era with the coming of social media.

Answer: Before, there is hardly any responsible newspaper in Nigeria that will not subscribe to
NAN, how will they survive? When they want to take off, they will invest so much in Labour
cost and later they realize that they can't pay. The News Agency of Nigeria is a reporter that
gives you stories on all aspect of human endeavours. So, any newspaper coming up whether
through a consultant or something, the first thing they do is that they factor in NAN budget into
their planning. It was almost automatic, that almost all the newspapers and media houses in
Nigeria at that time subscribed to NAN; but today reasonably, it is not the same. Some of them,
we have to go after them ourselves, to encourage them to come and subscribe. Before, they
make it a point to come, they still come, but if you look at the growth of media industry and
how we are supposed to be, it has affected us, it has affected our operations somehow. Not
drastically, but we could see it. So, there are several online newspapers that are publishing
without subscribing to us. Though, they know they are missing something and maybe they are
the unserious one. Majority of the serious ones, like the Premium Times, Eagle Online are
subscribing to NAN and they don't joke with us. There are so many others who are not.

Question: So primarily, the coming of the new media has led to a little decline in the level of
subscription to NAN?

Answer: Yes, very low but it is there, it is a factor.

Question: Though there are other ways you generate funds but narrowing it down the funds you
generate from subscription by other media outlets, what will you compare the pre-social media
era and post social media era?

Answer: There was a time we were charging subscribers over N1million but with the trend now
we realize that a lot of the newspapers, whether online are also in distress, they are not making
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much money and as long as we also want to make money we a also desire that the media
industry in Nigeria will continue to be vibrant because it is when they are like that authentic
information dissemination to Nigerians to avoid trouble can happen. So, we found that
subscription to our service has not really decline much but in terms of payment only few are
able to pay our normal rate. Many of them have serious challenges of payment. As you can see
all these files, three of them are for disconnection from our service because of non-payment.
From my assessment, the industry is in serious threat. We don't have the newspaper of our own,
whatever we produce is for them to blow to the world. We normally say, "talk to NAN, talk to
all". You talk to NAN; you talk to all.

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 APPENDIX IV

INTERVIEW WITH NAN MEMBERS OF STAFF- INTERVIEWEE 2

Question: In the way you use social media, what are the benefits?

Answer: It has helped to popularize NAN also, for more people to be aware of NAN, because in
the beginning, we have nomenclature problem. There is this baby food call NAN, so really as at
the time NAN too was established, in those days as young reporter you go to some places and
they will be asking you when you say you are from NAN, “o kay did you bring one carton for
us? Next time you are coming, bring one carton." They always think we are the NAN for the
baby food. And then, there was NANS, it used to be NUNS before, National Union of Nigerian
Students. Later after the Ahmadu Ali "wahala" it became NANS. That was another problem.
They will say "o kay, NANS? Then you have to explain, but with the use of the social media,
projecting ourselves on it, a lot of people have become familiar with NAN as NAN. So, that
mistake of identity is no longer there. So, that is part of the gain,

I think we are deriving from the social media, the level to which we use it. By and large, I think
people have contacted us through social media, they see information about us and either they
want to do business with us or they want to buy into our products. There have been instances
like that. In a way, it helps to attract public attention to NAN.

INTERVIEW WITH NAN STAFF- INTERVIEWEE 3

Question: Bearing in mind that you sell news, how will you compare that era before the social
media to the present time, in your revenue generation through sales of news?

Answer: There is no doubt that it has affected us somehow in terms of revenue generation from
news, from all news it has affected us. If you look at the ratio in the past to what we generate
now, it might look much, but compare to the number of clients that were paying those amounts
in those day, I think it has affected our income.

INTERVIEW WITH NAN STAFF - INTERVIEWEE 4

Question: From your position, knowing what is going out and what is coming in, I just want you
to give us the broad idea of the effect of new media, the coming of the social media on the
revenue generation of NAN?

Answer: Actually, it is a little difficult to determine precisely but there is no doubt that it has
affected our revenue generation from the news products. It is to pre-empt that, that we too
started introducing some other products that are not necessarily news based. So, we have what
we call non-media products, we have some by-products of news stories too. Even if from the
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sales of news, the revenue might go down, we are able to make up from others. Like today we
have what we call SMS news. Definitely it is a by-product from stories, that one has nothing to
do with any newspaper or tv station or something. We do it on GSM.

Question: Which means you are now using the coming of social media again to generate funds
in other areas apart from direct sales of news to media houses?

Answer: Yes. If GSM is part of social media. We now also tap that to make money and that has
helped us a lot to make up for shortfalls that we would have been feeling from the downfall
sales of news as a product.

Question: That SMS you talk about, how does it operate?

It is like summary of news. For example, "the President has just appointed so and so as the
managing director of so and so place;" or "the minister has done this or that." Just within 60
characters, we package that and then disseminate this to our subscribers. So, immediately the
thing is happening, they are getting it.

Question: The subscribers may not be basically media houses?

Answer: No. Though there are media houses that pay for that too because for editor who knows
what he is doing, it is useful for him. The moment he received the alert, like at times, we send it
from the venue of the event. When the event is going on, the SMS is sent, so if an editor is
subscribing, if he sees it, he can quickly put a report and start working on the background of the
story. There are some editors that subscribed to that too but not all editors. But the product is
generally for the general public, for every Nigerian who want to be kept informed about what is
happening in our country from all sectors of human endeavors, sports, politics and others. With
that product, we were selling very well because we also approached a lot of the parastatals,
ministries and private sector that they should subscribe to it so that whatever information they
have and want to pass across to the people, they just send it to us. Like we have such beautiful
partnership with Road Safety, NAFDAC, PITAD, PenComm, NIMC and so many of them like
that. So, whenever they have any information, they want to put across, or something new about
their achievements they send it to us. So, that one, we don't need to wait for media house to
come and subscribe because we can make some money from that. So, may be that is our own
way of tapping from the social media to augment for whatever loss that might be coming from
direct sales of news.

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 INTERVIEW WITH NAN STAFF- INTERVIEWEE 7

Question: Do you use social media and to what extent?

Answer: The level at which we engage social media, we are very careful because of the way it
has been bastardized. But we have Twitter Account, we have Facebook Account, because we
service serious clients, newspapers across the country, television stations, radio stations. So, we
have a dedicated portal, any story we are publishing goes there, so those who are our clients,
who are subscribing to NAN have access, they go there and pick the news. We don't
disseminate our news items primarily on social media, on Facebook or Twitter. But we have
Facebook and Twitter accounts, we have some young men very active who also project some
things about NAN, but it is not our main channel of dissemination.

INTERVIEW WITH NAN STAFF- INTERVIEWEE 8

Question: In gathering information by all your reporters, those on the field, do they use social
media, like in gathering information and sending information to the organization?

Answer: Definitely, every reporter who knows what he is doing now must use social media,
because now, most of the prominent people have their Facebook Account, they have their
Twitter Account. Even the President, if he does something, on his own even if it is two
paragraphs, he puts there. So, a reporter who knows what he was doing must be connected
either through accessing NAN Twitter Account, to be able to monitor. Those who are in charge,
I am sure they must be following as many people as possible on the NAN Twitter Account. And
once you are following, if those people post any information, it comes to our own NAN
account. So, the Editor can say go and follow up on this and we are able to get more stories.

INTERVIEW WITH NAN STAFF- INTERVIEWEE 9

Do you see social media as a threat to NAN and other traditional media?

Initially everybody saw social media as a threat. Actually, it is a threat to journalism, the normal
traditional media we use to know. In those days you can't write a story without proper
verification, cross checking and confirming that it is true because you know the implication,
defamation, slander, and others. But now, with social media, there is too much recklessness in
the dissemination of news through social media. Human being out there quickly wants to hear
information whether it is authentic or not can be secondary. That is not good for journalism
profession.

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 APPENDIX V

INTERVIEW WITH THE GROUP NEWS EDITOR, LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS.

MR. PETER EKELE - INTERVIEWEE 16

Question: In your operation, how does the organization deploy the use of social media?

Answer: In leadership, the social media handles have become very helpful, we check it for
stories that are breaking, follow some prominent Nigerians on twitter handle, then we also
check Facebook. But the thing is that we can’t just pick news and rely on it. By the time you
pick it, you need to verify, because almost everybody is a journalist on social media, you just
have to cross check otherwise you get into trouble the next day. So once a story is breaking on
Instagram or twitter or Facebook, you call your reporter to do a follow up and verify if it is
actually true. That is when you can use it, of course it is useful because often times stories that
you may have missed, it will help you have them.

Question: Do you subscribe to News Agencies or Nigerian News Materials?

Answer: Yes, we subscribe to them, and it has been very helpful, especially in what I would
call integrated newsroom, that is, the online and newspaper. It works this way, for the online
especially, for you to keep the traffic coming in you need to update at least by ten minutes
interval, without the help of the NAN subscription we would not be able to keep up, because
how many reporters do you have on ground and how early do their stories come in. So, in that
regard the NAN subscription is very helpful. Then for us here, there are some days that are very
very dry days. No events, then the exclusive stories may not be favourable to the government in
power and then you will have the responsibility of balancing the interest of your publisher and
what you intend to do. So, in that regards we would now begin to rely on NAN stories because
no matter what, NAN is also an agency of the government so it would not be harsh on the
government. So sometimes you see what your reporter has filled, you look at it, he has not taken
it from the angle that is favourable to the government then the reporter also has this challenge
because no matter how much you ask him to re-angle the story, he may appear not to be able to
divulge himself from emotions and sentiments, so you have no choice but to pick the NAN copy
and rework and use. Then on such days too, when you have to fill up the pages when there are
no adverts, you would use NAN features and all of that. And again, their copies are very clean,
they have good editors, good hands so you can almost pick NAN copies and close your eyes and
use.

Question: You said you use stories from other social media apart from NAN’s stories, then, can
you compare the two, do you rely more on other social media materials, than stories from
NAN?

Answer: No, we rely more on NAN, if I am not using my reporter’s story. I rely more on NAN;
I only use the social media to check what I may be missing then do some follow up. In fact, I
may see a story on Facebook, I will go to NAN, type in the keywords and see, if they don’t have
the copy I will also follow up with my reporter, make calls and other.
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Question: Looking at the advent of social media, as we have internet, twitter, Facebook and all
sort, there was a time when we didn’t have such thing, talk of the last fifteen or even ten years,
and now. So how would you compare your subscription? Has it affected your subscription to
News Agency?

Answer: No, it has not reduced the reliance on News agency, because you know there’s this
serious issue of fake news, you will get more of it on social media. So, you’ll even be surprised
that you’ll find such news items on the Facebook wall or in Instagram of prominent people.
People that you think ought to be more informed. So if you are not careful, you’ll run into
trouble like I said earlier. So, the advent of social media has not reduced our dependency on
NAN copies it just complements.

Question: Lastly, in terms of financial implication, can you say how much you pay to NAN for
some period before the advent of social media?

Answer: I think the subscription in the last two or three years we have witnessed some slight
changes in rate, but I think it hasn’t gone down, but rather we have run into debt because the
company has challenges. We ran into debt because we have not changed the subscription but I
remember that at a point in 2017, we were owing NAN about 6 Million Naira and that was
because they know that thigs were good, the relationship was there, because we subscribe for
news items, we also subscribe for photos. Then we used to do SMS, as their breaking news,
they would send us SMS so then we had about 30 senior colleagues, all the title editors, line
editors, the management staff, they are on NAN SMS subscription. So at a point some people
left here and we had to go and review that subscription but we still rely on them because I may
not be online, but I get their SMS to date, as they are posting their stories they would send SMS
that a story is there so it helps a lot.

Question: So even the new media has not affected the level of payment you make to them?

Answer: You know, news agency is just a wider range, because they are on ground in almost
all the parts of the country.

Soji Ezekiel: Thank you.

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 APPENDIX VI

INTERVIEW WITH EDITOR, ABUJA INQUIRER AND CHAIRMAN NIGERIA

UNION OF JOURNALISTS (NUJ), ABUJA CHAPTER.

Mr. EMMANUEL OGBECHE- INTERVIEWEE 17

Question: Can we meet you?

Answer: My name is Emmanuel Ogbeche, Editor at the Abuja Inquirer Newspaper based here in
Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory.

Question: In your operation sir, how does your organisation deploy the use of social media?

Answer: First we have social media handles which we use in highlighting some of the stories on
our websites and we also have a functional website, we also scout the social media space to look
at news that break and what the citizens are commenting on especially on twitter, to the extent
we have a robust social media engagement.

Question: Do you subscribe to NAN's news materials?

Answer: Yes, we used to do until this year.

Question: Why did you stop?

Answer: Well, the issue of funding and primarily because of the limited geographical spread of
our newspapers which does not lay focus on FCT but also just the adjourning states and we
have correspondents that are doing well in that regard. Also, we now have opportunities to use
media, but we only need to crosscheck the facts very well before we go to the press. But
fundamentally the issue of cost is one major issue.

Question: But until of recent when you stopped, how will you compare the way you have used
NAN materials years before the coming of the new media to the present time?

Answer: I think it's a great resource for any newspaper because it has the widest reach in terms
of correspondents in almost all the local government areas in Nigeria, and because of its speed
in having news updated on its sites, you know it is of great value and it still remains of great
value because there are limitations to which you should depend on social media when reporting
the news, because theirs (NAN) is verifiable, it has balance and it is authentic, and all the
necessary ingredients of news are taken into consideration, there is gate keeping generally
unlike what you find on social media. So, it is of great value, especially for those that can afford
it.

Question: So, has the usage of the new or social media affected the reliance on NAN, even
before you stopped the subscription?

Answer: Yes, greatly because even on government press statements and releases, even
individuals now make policy statements through their social media especially twitter. And some
agencies still have very robust social media pages as well. So those are great resources which

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any serious media organisation can rely on to get authentic news. Even before now, it has
greatly impacted on how much dependency one has on the NAN.

Question: But can you just give us a brief analysis on how it was then and now even before you
stopped?

Answer: If you even check the NAN, as a news wire it is also rejiggling its processes. It also has
very active social media handle as well, even though you may not have the full gist, but there
are national news which you can also get without subscription from them. So, they are also
working with technology and as the time evolves, they have also keyed into the process. But
basically, in terms of pictures, you still need them to have access to quality pictures, by and
large, so I think nothing dramatic has really shifted from what it offers, only that now there is
more reliance on their own social media, even though you cannot fully access some of the
stories there, but it gives you snippets of what is happening. It's a good initiative, what they are
doing.

Question: Finally in terms of financial implications, this is the basic reason why we are doing
this, since you were the one handling it then before the coming of the new media and after, can
you give us the financial implications, like how much you used then and after the coming of the
new media, what it used to be, I want you to compare?

Answer: Well, speaking about the Abuja Inquirer, I would say the cost implications on us has
really reduced because you can also find very good pictures online. Let me give you an instance
of one agency that I think is doing very well, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and
National Planning, they have a very active twitter handle and can also find the sort of pictures
you require for your news. So, relying solely on News Agency of Nigeria, no longer works.

I know one or two media organisations that basically is just all about pictures. And you know
that the costing for general news purposes and for pictures alone differ when you subscribe to
NAN. So, with the advent and with the robust nature of social media in Nigeria now it has
greatly impacted on how much you spend, subscribing to them.

Soji Ezekiel: Thank You

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 APPENDIX VII

INTERVIEW WITH GROUP NEWS EDITOR, BLUEPRINT NEWSPAPERS, ABUJA,

MR. ABDULRAUF ABDULRAMAN- INTERVIEWEE 18

Question: In your operation in the Blueprint, how does your Organisation deploy the use of new
media, I mean the social media?

Answer: We rely to some degree on social media for some of our stories, but we have
selections. It is not every social media platform that we subscribe to because of the ongoing
issues with fake news and issues that go with it.

Question: Do you subscribe to news material from the News Agency of Nigeria?

Answer: Yes. We do

Question: Till now?

Answer: Yes.

Question: To what extent do you subscribe to NAN materials?

Answer: We are customer to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). We rely on NAN and of course,
other credible media platforms for some of our key stories. The subscription is ongoing, and I
can tell you that we rely on some of their stories for our key news items.

Question: Has the coming of social media reduced the extent to which you rely on NAN
materials?

Answer: The answer could be yes and could be no. Yes, because just like any other thing, when
there is competition there is a likely hood that certain changes will come in. Before now, NAN
and some other platforms like Premium Times and the rest of them have been keenly used, but
with the advent of social media platforms, sometimes you can get credible news from social
media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and the rest of them. But because of the need for
credibility, we know NAN is an establishment under the Federal Government. We can go to
them, we can speak with their reporters to clarify issues, but for some of these platforms that
you can hardly identify their locations, we hardly depend on them for key stories, except that
sometimes when we see a flash of stories from those platforms, it helps us to go for
investigation whether they are actually true and whether we can use them or not.

Question: As the group news editor, in terms of analysis, how will you compare the level and
extent of your usage of NAN materials before the advent of social media and the present day,
after the arrival of social media?

Answer: I wouldn't have the figure to compare in percentages. Well, if you place it on 100%, I
can say 50% of our stories then were from NAN and by now it could be 40%; but I can tell you
that the percentage has not reduce drastically because like I told you, it is the issue of
credibility. NAN is credible and no matter how competitive, till tomorrow, NAN will be relied
on for some of their news stories.
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Question: You said the reduction in subscription would be about 10 per cent. That mean
likewise, the financial obligation to NAN would have also reduced. And will you say the
coming of social media has reduced your subscription to NAN?

Answer: Whether you like it or not, the advent of social media has affected some things even in
a little way, not to greater degree and therefore, the patronage of NAN will be a little less than
what it used to be.

END.

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 APPENDIX VIII

INTERVIEWEE 21- VANGUARD NEWS EDITOR

Q. In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?

A. We use social media as one of the complementary sources of news gathering

Q. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

A. Yes, we do.

Q. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?

We depend on NAN greatly to source for stories.

Q. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?

A. The NAN’s stories are more credible and reliable than the social media.

Q. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?

A. It has not because NAN is more reliable. Though there are other sources as credible too that
we use in this era. This may reduce our 100% reliance on NAN like before, but we still use
NAN and rely on it. It may have reduced a bit.

Q. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?

Before the advent of social media, NAN was the only online we subscribed to for dependable,
credible, accurate and reliable local and sometimes, foreign stories. But at present, we have
other sources due to emergence of social media, such as Twitter, most especially. When a
prominent figure twits, we may not bother to check such on NAN. So, to some small level,
social media affect our earlier 100 percent reliance on NAN.

Q. In terms of financial implication, how much do you pay to NAN for some period before the
advent of the new media and the current period after the advent of new media?

A. The details of the financial implications are not readily available. It is handled by the finance
department.
END.

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 APPENDIX VIV

INTERVIEWEE 22- DAILY TRUST LINE EDITOR

Q- In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?

A-We deploy the use of all social media platforms effectively in order to carry all categories of
our readers along. Precisely, we promote most of our content we find out that it would interest
our readers most. We do this using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and lately Thread.

Q. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

A. Yes, we do subscribe to the News Agency of Nigeria's portal every year.

Q. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?

A. We subscribe annually and we get all the contents we want. These range from politics,
crimes, courts, science and technology, health, defence and security stories among many others.

Q. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?

A. In my organisation, we don't rely on social media as sources of our news contents. We have
our reporters on ground across the country to give us updates. In any case, if our reporters are
unable to get a report we might have come across on other media platforms, we pick it from the
NAN portal.

Q. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?

A. No, the usage of social media has not in any way affected our relationship with NAN. This
is because we're in the era where fake news is rampant. We get our news reliably from our
reporters who are on the field to get first-hand information or get it from NAN.

Q. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?

A. Before the advent of new media, we still had our reporters across all 36 States. When the
new media emerged, we didn't discard the tradition because we felt it is important to guide and
guard against the issue of fake news that may fly around on Social Media.

Q. In terms of financial implication, how much do you pay to NAN for some period before the
advent of the new media and the current period after the advent of new media?

A. The payment for subscription to NAN portal varies year-in, year-out because of fluctuation
in economic growth. Though, what we did pay less in the past before the advent of new media
than now. I can't say the exact amount because of our relationship with over the years. It varies.

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 APPENDIX X

INTERVIEWEE 23- NEW TELEGRAPH NEWS EDITOR

Q. In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?
A- My organization mostly relies on social media for breaking news. It visits various online
media and blogs very often.

Q. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

A. Yes, my media organization subscribes to the materials of the News Agency of Nigeria.

Q. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?
A. My media organization uses NAN stories to a large extent especially photographs.

Q. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?
A. My organization visits social media more than NAN stories.

Q. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?
A. Yes, just because social media is faster and a bit reliable if you are picking from the news
source handle directly. Example of this is picking a story material from the Twitter handle of a
minister during an ongoing meeting.

Q. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?
A. My organization used and strongly relied on NAN news materials before the advent of the
new media but patronage of NAN news has drastically reduced. It is the area of credibility of
stories that NAN still has an edge.

Q. In terms of financial implication, how much do you pay to NAN for some period before the
advent of the new media and the current period after the advent of new media?
A. I'm not privy to financial details between my organization and NAN on subscriptions.

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 APPENDIX XI

INTERVIEWEE 24- SUN NEWS EDITOR

Q. In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?

A. The SUN posts stories on all its social media platforms and updates them as soon as there are
new developments to stories posted. The SUN has a solid presence on Facebook, followed
by Twitter and YouTube.
That’s all I know.

Q. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

A- Yes

Q. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?
A- The premium service (Again, that’s what I knew as at the time I was the News Editor in
Lagos-2015-2019).

Q. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?
A.- Social media gives SUN solid feedback on the stories posted. Some readers ask for more
details while others dispute the content, based on what they may have garnered elsewhere. NAN
stories are used but are upgraded when in-house reporters supply more information about a
particular story

Q. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?
A. No

Q. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?
A- Well, since we can pick story directly from the source on Twitter or Instagram, I can say that
it is easier, cost effective for us than relying heavily on NAN all the time like it used to be
before the social media. A story picked from a Twitter handle of the President himself or head
of agency will does not need any confirmation. We don’t need to wait for NAN to authenticate
it like it used to be before. So, media organisations like ours largely depended on NAN, being a
government agency during that era for such stories unlike now. So, definitely, you can’t
compare the subscription of that era to the present. Social media has reduced that.

Q. In terms of financial implication, how much do you pay to NAN for some period before the
advent of the new media and the current period after the advent of new media?
A- As News Editor, then, we subscribed, yearly, for NAN and we get the premium service.
However, I don’t know how much is paid. It was not within my purview

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 APPENDIX XII

INTERVIEWEE 25- NIGERIAN TRIBUNE NEWS EDITOR

Q. In your operation, how does your organization deploy the use of the social media?
A. It was introduced to us via the link sent to us from various platform and we pick necessary
stories we need for the day. We have adopted the use of social media in our organization. In
fact, every reporter monitors their social media to keep abreast of any breaking news, they
constantly check the Twitter handle s of various important news makers, government officials
and others on their social media handles, especially Twitter.

Q. Do you subscribe to News Agency of Nigeria news materials?

A. Yes, from the time immemorial till the present. We subscribe to NAN very well, it is still
part of a platform we get news.

Q. Please describe the extent to which your organization subscribes to NAN’s stories?
A. Yearly. As I said, we still rely on NAN materials in order not to miss a very crucial story.
Also, for some line editors, there may be shortage of materials and the need to fill up a page
under pressure, you can quickly use NAN because you can be sure whatever you pick there are
credible.

Q. How would you compare your other sources of news like the social media and NAN’s
stories?
You can be sure that NAN stories are reliable than that of general social media, except the
stories you pick directly from the news source handle himself. You can’t compare the story on
these online media to NAN stories. As an editor, you cannot just see a story on any online
medium or blogs and rely on it. Fake news are over the place on the social media, and a credible
medium like us cannot do that, we would rather go to NAN.

Q. Has the usage of new media affected your reliance and usage of NAN news materials?
A. Not at all. Though, we cannot compare it to the 1990s and early 20s, when all hope of extra
efforts to get story apart from your field reporters are on NAN, we still rely on NAN and
regularly subscribe to it. We may not realy on their stories fully like before, but the social media
impact has not heavily affected our reliance on NAN. it is neither here nor there, we pick from
most reliable social media handle, such as Twitters of prominent figures and news makers and
we also pick some stories from NAN, to help our work.

Q. Can you give us analyses of your subscription to NAN news materials before the advent of
new media and the present day of the new media?
This has been explained, as I said. Normally there must be reduction in this era due to additional
usage of new media such as Twitter, Instagram and other reliable social media handle of news
maker themselves. In those year, we completely relied on NAN, with special section and
workers devoted and assigned to monitor NAN continuously. In those days, you cannot ignore
NAN till your paper goes to bed, in order not to miss important stories but today, you prefer to
monitor social media, such as Twitter and other platforms. There is no way social media would
not have bit effect on the usage of NAN today in any media organization. As news is breaking,
people are publishing on various medium and platform immediately.

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Age of Respondents …………………………………………………… 60

Table 2: Gender of Respondents ...…………………………………………………… 61

Table 3: Number of years Respondents worked in NAN ………………………………. 61

Table 4: Respondents Awareness of Social Media …………………………………… 61

Table 5: Respondents use of Social Mediafor News gathering and dissemination …… 62

Table 6: Most used Social Media by Respondents ……………….…………………… 62

Table 7: Frequency of Social Media Usage ……………………….………………… 63

Table 8: Impact of Social to Media Outlets Subscription to NAN news……………… 63

Table 9: NAN Subscription to and Use of Social Media ………………….…………… 64

Table 10: Reliability of Social Media News Content …………………….………… 64

Table 11: Challenges of Social MediaNewsto NAN …………….…………………… 65

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LIST OF FIGURES

1: Organogram of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) …………………………………. 30

2: International News Agencies on Twitter …………………………………………… 44

3: A Model of Stages in the Innovation Decision Process ……………………………… 53

4: Breakdown of Sample Size of Study ……………………….……………………… 57

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