The Determinants And Challenges Of Reading Print Version Of Newspaper Among Youths.
Reading newspaper informs readers’ as well as enhance the readers’ literacy skills. Therefore, the newspaper serves as a tool for learning, especially among communication students. However, newspaper readership among students in Nigeria has been an issue of concern. This study investigated the determinants and challenges of reading print version of newspaper among youths. The research design adopted was a descriptive survey, population frame was 630 Mass Communication Students of Federal College of Education Asaba registered in 2018/2019 session while the sample size was 242 selected via a stratified random method. It was discovered that there is low newspaper readership among the students. The student preferred general interest newspapers particularly Daily Trust and the Sun Newspapers. The manners in which the students access newspapers were majorly through borrowing and vendor stand-free-reading. The study also revealed that politics and sport are the major subjects of interest which the students often seek from newspaper while the problems militating against the newspaper readership among the students include lack of money, prevalent of online newspaper and poor supply of newspaper in the University library and the Department. Nigerian Universities should provide newspapers in the University library daily and create newspaper hub or stand within the department of mass communication to enable students to access newspapers.
Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study
There is a thing referred to as reading culture which refers to a conscious habit of reading among a community of people. To attain this reading culture a couple of factors bear upon it. One of which is a sufficient reading content in the popular media.
Before the turn of the millennium, the popular medium of reading were the newspaper and books and for new articles everyone turned to only newspapers with vigour so that it was associated with the learned and the elite.
However, with the advancement of information technology and all its other means of information dissemination and information systems, the patronization of the print media has so far dwindled and to add to the bargain the information technological know-how are on the increase and their uses are proving to be very simple especially among the youth. They are multipurpose and aim at simplifying life in every way possible. With this sort of picture, the print media doesn’t seem to stand a chance.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The challenges of a particular method of doing something or engaging a problem is only highlighted when an easier method is discovered. With the innovative of journalism to include websites and social media platforms for new dissemination, the attention of young people has shifted away from the print media to soft prints through phones and computers. In fact, not only do most newspaper houses now have websites where they publish their news alongside the print media, they also make use of blogs and social media pages. This influences greatly the posture of millennials towards the seemingly cumbersome print media. This is the task that the present research work has set for itself namely to study the determining factors and challenges of reading print versions if newspapers with the youth of Delta state of the federal college of education, Asaba as a case study.
1.3 Research Questions
What are the shortcomings of print newspapers
What are the other options apart from the print version of newspapers.
What are the advantages of these other option over the print versions.
What are the advantages of the print version over the other option which sees to it not totally going obsolete.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The purposes of this research work include identifying the various challenges facing the reading of print versions of newspapers among youths and establishing the factors that inform this total reverse away from newspaper culture and turning to soft copies and less journalistic form of news writings. The processes that saw to the paradigmatic movement from the print media form of news articles to the present one that is determined by information technological systems.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The research aims at shedding light on the determining factors and challenges in reading the print versions of newspapers. With the help of the findings of this research, newspapers can better adapt to the changing terrains, preferences and reading habit of millennials in order to survive an age where the reading of newspaper prints are relatively cumbersome and costly.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
The hypothesis guiding the present research work is that the present young people aren’t predisposed towards reading news through print newspapers.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The research will focus its study on Delta youths. Specifically the young people of federal college of education Asaba. The comparison to be carried out between the youth friendly information technology and the moribund print newspapers will focus on the use of soft new reports in websites, blogs and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where young people choose the kind of news materials they want to be seeing and it begins scrolling down their timelines
1.8 Limitations of the Study
The major limiting factor of this research work is the time factor which hasn’t fully allowed the researcher the leave to fully engage the research problem as would have been desirable.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Print Media
These are mediums used by news outlets in disseminating their news materials which involves the use of hard copy printed materials as opposed to the soft online medium which millennials favour over the former.
Internet:
The Internet is a network of interactivities of computers and the notion of telex- pretence that is radically redefining the means of modern communication. With the advent of Internet, group of networks are electronically connected and able to communicate with one another. Adedina et al, (2007:519) in their work quoted Aina (2002: 10) to have defined the Internet as: “a computer network made up of large number of computer networks which communicate and share data with one another”. Also, Hanson (cited in Adedina et al 2007: 519) defined it as: “a diverse set of independence networks, interlinked to provide its users with the appearance of a single, uniform network”.
Information and Communication Technology:
Information and communication technology or technologies (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the manipulation and communication of information. The term is sometimes in preference to information technology (ICT), particularly in two communities: education and government. ICT in fact encompasses any medium to record information (magnetic disk/tape, optical disks CD/DVD, flash memory etc and arguably also paper records); technology for broadcasting information radio, television; and technology for communicating through voice and sound or images – microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones. It includes the wide variety of computing hardware (pcs, servers, mainframes, networked storage), the rapidly developing personal devices, MP3 players, and much more. It also include the full gamut of application software services; and the hardware software needed to operate networks for transmission of information, raging from a home network to the largest global private networks operated by major commercial enterprises and of course, the Internet. This “ICT” makes more explicit that technologies such as broadcasting and wireless mobile telecommunications are included.
World Wide Web:
World Wide Web is a way of accessing information files on the Internet and the heart of it lies in the protocols that define its use. It has been explained that “it uses hypertext transfer protocols (HTTP) to transport files from one place to another” Baran (2009:306). The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a web browser, one can view web pages that may contain text, images, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks.
Web Design:
Web Page Design is a process of conceptualization, planning, modelling and execution of electronic media content delivery via Internet in the form of technologies (such as mark-up languages) suitable for interpretation and display by a web browser or other web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIS). The intent of web design is to create a web site a collection of electronic files residing on one or more web servers that presents content including interactive features or interfaces to the end users in the form of web pages once requested.
On-line Newspaper:
This has been considered a revolution in mass media due to their characteristics of hypertext, interactivity, and multimedia which necessitated a new model of journalism and reading behaviour. On-line newspaper is the on-line version or otherwise called electronic version of the printed newspaper version (McAdams, 1995: 64-90).
On-line Readers:
On-line readers are the newspaper readers that read the electronic version of the printed copy on-line via the Internet. However, on-line readers must have the knowledge of information communication technology (ICT) and be connected to the Internet before they can read newspaper on-line.
Computer:
A computer is a device that accepts information (in the form of digitalized data) and manipulates it for some result based on a programme or sequence of instructions on how the data is to be processed. Complex computers also include the means for storing data (including the programme, which is also a form of data) for some necessary duration. A programme may be invariable and built into the computer (and called logic circuitry as it is on microprocessors) or difference programmes may be provided to the computer (loaded into its storage and then started by an administrator or user).
Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations
The study investigated newspaper readership among university students with a focus on Mass communication students. The study basically sought to find the type of newspaper the students preferred, the extent the students are read their most preferred newspapers and the manner in which they access the papers. Furthermore, the study looked at the subject of interest which the students sought from newspapers as well as the challenges militating against newspaper readership among the students. It was discovered that there is low newspaper readership among the students. The student preferred general interest newspapers particular Daily Trust and the Sun Newspapers, however, the extent the students read the newspaper is occasionally or once in a while. Furthermore, the work found that the manner in which the few students access papers include through borrowing and vendor stand-free-reading. A very minute portion of the respondents purchase newspaper with their money.
In addition, the study revealed that politics and sport are the major subjects of interest which the students often seek from newspaper readership. The study further identified problems militating against newspaper readership among the students and these problems include lack of money, prevalent of online newspaper and poor supply of newspaper in the University library and the Department.
The findings of this study as seen above support the assertion of the Uses and Gratification Theory, which served as the theoretical framework of this study. According to the theory, audience of Mass media are very active they deliberately select and exposed themselves only to media channels that would provide certain gratification or reward such as information reward, leisure or entertainment among others. Apt to this study is the fact that hardcopy newspaper is not receiving significant attention due to the fact that the medium has not lack capacity to provide needed gratifications to the students in the manner that they would be motivated to access and read the papers despite all challenges.
Newspaper is a viable tool for the dissemination of information, enlightenment and shaping of public opinion and so its readership important and educative to students. This study established that there is low newspaper readership among Mass communication students, Federal College of Education Asaba. Most of the students read newspaper occasionally which might be related to issues of assignment common to Mass Communication studies. This attitude to newspaper readership might deny the student’s privilege to useful information contain in various newspapers as well as the opportunity of learning to see that newspaper on their own enhance students’ reading and comprehension skills.
As Mass Communication students, the need to read the newspaper is high, this is because the act would significantly help student improve their writing skills as well as get informed with news and current happenings in the society. However, the current status of newspaper readership in the institution and in particular among Mass Communication students is worrisome and which need serious attention by all stakeholders in the department and the University as a whole.
The following recommendations were made based on the findings of the study.
The Management of the school should provide daily newspapers in the University libraries to enable willing students and other readers gain access.
Similarly, the department of Mass communication should collaborate with the Mass Communication Students Association (MACOSA) to create newspaper hub or stand within the department in which students can have access to the papers.
The department can also establish a resource centre in which several contents, including newspapers can be kept for references and research purposes.
Leading newspapers like Daily Trust and the Sun which are the most preferred among the students should establish a newspaper stand in the university in which the students can have access to the papers on daily business at subsidized rate.
The students of the department should be encouraged to form newspaper reading club in which members would be contributing less among weekly to provide newspapers for the club members at others who care for newspapers.
The students should also sensitize on the importance of reading read hardcopy newspapers despite the prevalent of online newspapers
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