We are all living in the Digital world where everything is digital oriented .Digital plays an important role in every human’s daily life; this is due the emerge of advancement in technology. If you are living in this world, you are either a digital consumer( User )or creator or innovator of digital products.
Digital world has emerged with more opportunities in almost every industry, it has simplified works, created employment, increased ways of doing business etc. One among the beneficially industries highly impacted with digital emergence is media.Despite of great opportunities that digitalspace has offered for this industry, yet it has raised many challenges for Journalists.
The emergence of Digital has introduced the use of social networks , internet uses, where almost everything nowadays, especially in the media industry, is transformed to online, where digital skills have become the key for Journalists.
Digital has become a new world order for citizens to get information such news, entertainment etc, where else, the natural modern way of informing our society has transformed from natural Modern newspaper to online. People are using the internet for collecting information, distributing information etc. This has currently turned digital skills for journalists to be the best and most important tool for their work.
In Tanzania, everyone depends on digital space such as social networks as main sources of information now days, YouTube has taken over and other social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, facebook etc are replacing the role of newspapers and many other natural ways of journalism.As i said before, Digital Skills has became a rolling skills for Journalism in Tanzania, but this is a new way of life, most journalists are faced with many challenges in embracing digital skills few among them are such as;
Lack of digital skills itself among most journalists, the emergence of the digital world is new technology which has its principles and roles that journalists should be equipped with for them to copy with the acceleration of change in the journalism industry. I think Lack of digital skill contributes significance in newspapers business. Most of them are facing hard times in information collections, distributions as well as how information is consumed in digital space.as result, it reduces creativity, causes delays in publications, reaching consumers on time etc.
Another challenge is the availability of digital skills coaches or facilitators to train our Journalists. Digital skill is a new emergence in Journalism, it’s not being taught in school nor included in school curriculum in Tanzania, this increases the rate of digital skills demands not only for journalists but the whole Tanzanian Community. Thus raises the need of acquiring these skills informally( out of formal education). For this to succeed we must have more digital skills facilitators ,or coaches but the case is different. Thanks to “Tech & Media Convergency” for facilitating this training which will help in increasing the number of facilitators to train others and spread this skills to others
Other challenges are lack of proper digital equipment for few Journalists with knowledge to use, Journalists being subjective to information that market needs (consumers needs) and not what they are trained to do professionally. Attacking of journalists, gender violence especially for female journalists especially when they applying professionalism.
Also lack of journalism digital rights education as journalists but also as citizens. Spreading of misinformation, since digital spaces provide free access to everyone to produce and upload information.
Challenges facing Journalism in embracing digital skills, might be regional based or country wise based, the few mentioned need our efforts as society to help conquer and make journalism better for everyone. A message to our society is to keep believing in consuming proper information from professional journalists
WRITTEN BY TAUSI FERUZI .
DIGITAL JOURNALISTS 2021/22
BORESHA HABARI PROJECT