Features

Media metamorphosis

As the global news ecosystem goes digital, what are media houses doing to stay relevant, and pay the bills?

10 February 2020

When Japhet Ncube started out as a journalist, he’d head out to cover a story, equipped only with a notepad and a pen. Later, Ncube would sit behind a desktop computer in a newsroom and write up an article based on his notes. The next day, his name would appear in the morning newspapers. There were no smartphones, no live tweeting and no event hashtags. Journalists couldn’t shoot videos or take photos unless they had the right camera and recording equipment. At the time, print was society’s main news source. This is no longer the case.

“Today, the print media picture is depressing,” says Ncube. “Revenues are down. Readership is down. And costs have gone up.” But print publications aren’t the only ones feeling the heat.

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