Trends and patterns of online newspapers in Nigeria: A study of Sahara reporters and the Premium time

Abstract

The drift of readers, viewers and advertisers from newspapers and broadcast stations to online news publications is not only limited to the developed world but has also become a visible trend in the developing countries such as Nigeria. Since Professor Marsha MacLuah opined in 1987 that the world would become a hamlet of communication, online publication has truly made the world a global village by providing easy access to the media contents which the readers at their convenient times and places can read as the news breaks. This study examines trends and patterns of online publications in Nigeria. This study is anchored on two theories: the technological determinism theory and the media morphosis theory of mass communication. It employs content analysis as its design so as to know what constitutes the trend and pattern of online newspapers in Nigeria, in this case, Sahara Reporters and Premium Times. After the analysis of trends of the two selected online news media shows that the selected media, it was discovered that they have a penchant for deep investigative stories and multimedia presentation with hyperlinks that make it easy for readers to navigate to other sections of the stories. It was also discovered that the two online newspapers usually link their stories to video clips which the readers could watch with their mobile devices. This can be concluded to be one of the major innovations that drive online newspapers, which has also increased the adoption of the news platforms by online audiences. It was recommended that media owners should not allow the commercial interest to derail them from the media social responsibility expected of it in the society by using latest technology to make access to information easy for their readers.