‘Digital technology, threat to newspapers’

The advent of digital technology in the practice of journalism is a threat to the survival of newspapers in Nigeria, the experts in the media industry have said.
The experts, however, called for a robust editorial content to guarantee the future of the newspaper business in the country.
These were parts of the submission of panelists at the Daily Trust Newspapers’ 20th anniversary celebration, tagged “20 years of credible Journalism” in Abuja yesterday.
The panelists were: Mr. Frank Aigbogun, Publisher, Business Day newspaper; Senator Chris Anyanwu, Proprietor, Hot FM; Mr.  Dapo Olorunyomi, Managing Director of Premium Times; and Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, Regional Manager, MediaReach OMD.
The programme with theme: “Journalism as Business: News, Views and Advertising” was chaired by the former Chairman of Punch Newspapers, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola.
In his submission, Aigbogun lamented that digital technology had wreaked havoc on the sustenance of the newspaper business in the country.
He gave the example of his medium, which its digital subscription had equated its hard copy sales, saying that was the future of the newspaper business in the country.
Collaborating Aigbogun’s submission, Olorunyomi said at least 12 million Nigerians were active users of facebook, which, according to him, made social media a popular tool in the dissemination of information.
On his part, Ogunkoya, who was represented by Mr. Yinka Adebayo, also called on the media practitioners to embrace the digital technology to expand their frontiers in the media business.
However, Anyanwu called for a robust editorial content to guarantee the future of the newspaper business in the country.
Also, all the panelists agreed that journalism “is a business” and cautioned that it should be practised in accordance with the high ethical standards of the profession.