Mobile Digital Apps and News Production at NTV Uganda

Abstract

In the era of technological innovations, new media technologies continue to change the news production culture in media organizations. Specifically, mobile applications have created opportunities for fast delivery, packaging, and access to news on digital platforms. These have also provided ground for citizen journalism to thrive in the global south. Focusing on Uganda, this research investigates how mobile digital technologies have affected news production at NTV Uganda. The study examines how mobile apps that include NTV Go, Live U, and Octopus have affected the production of news at NTV Uganda. The study draws from the diffusion of innovations theoretical framework to interrogate the rate of adoption and use of mobile apps in the news production process to understand how technological innovations have been adopted and integrated at NTV Uganda. The study employed a case study design to assess the effect of new media technology on news production. The findings indicate that customized mobile apps at NTV Uganda have enhanced timely production and delivery of news. The findings further indicate that the public is also able to engage with the station to contribute and share their community stories through the NTV Go mobile apps. However, these changes have brought about unsettling problems of accuracy and credibility in the production of news at NTV Uganda. The study concludes that new media technologies have enabled quick and efficient production of news which is a major affordance of digital journalism.