The University of Zambia Local News Droid

Group 11(frame work)

Milestone #5: Research Project Proposal Document
April 16, 2021

2.2. Project Description

The importance and uses of mobile are inexplicable which include communication, storage,
entertainment, application, etc. Mobile phone applications broaden the effectiveness of mobile
phones. It is important in all areas of life, especially education; it is indispensable in education
and in information system areas stated in.

Thus said the purpose of the project proposal is to develop an application which will display
news articles and videos verified and approved at backend for all members in the university
(UNZA).User can browse news articles and videos through various categories. App will enable
user to view news details, images, and video .Users can also bookmark any news article/video
for future use.
The application will have two types of user’s at backend one will be admin manager monitors the
accuracy and relevancy of news and information. For example, if the admin encounters fake
news or app misuse, they can take necessary action to stop the spread of such irrelevant
information. Whereas the other one users will be reporters and editors will have limited access to
backend features the reporters will be creating news articles and videos on the other hand editors
will have responsibility to approve and publish the articles and videos added by reporters. Both
users will be added to the system by admin.
The application also offers a tactic on how to decide which part of news to use and which feature
of application users want to use want to use.
This paper comprises a number of sections. It starts with a literature review then the discussion
of methodology used is included, followed by a description of analysis or pre-questionnaire,
design and development and finally the evaluation of the system. The paper concludes with a
summary of the research work, the limitations and future enhancement of the work.

2.3. Problem Statement

The UNZA campuses do not have a local newspaper, usually most info been accessed via social
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The local news droid will work as a solution to the accessibility of news the application will
informs users (UNZA students) about the trending news, occurrences, and interesting events
happening in and around the UNZA campuses.

● The proposal must clearly state the broad objective of the proposed project

The main objectives of the UNZA local News Droid:

 Is to Asses and designing a local news mobile app for UNZA students that will
informs users (UNZA students) about the trending news, occurrences, and
interesting events happening in and around the UNZA campuses. The system
uses Android Studio as the frontend and a suitable SQL database as the
backend

Specific objectives

 to provide accurate, timely easy information and updates to

The UNZA populace.

 to Build in an application systems using the latest web-technologies,

Server, network and security features.

 To have a widely coverage of distribution and faster dissemination of information

in a timelier manner.

Research Questions

 How do you access news and update?

 What fast does the lasts news and updates get to you?

 What are some of the challenges do you find when it comes to latest access to
information

 What mobile operating system do you use?

 What effect does daily use of Facebook what sup and other social media have on
you the in terms of accessing news?
 2.4. Related Work
● Critically synthesize important existing work that is related to your
proposed solution

The aim of this chapter is to take a step forward in the systematization (with previously
catalogued experiences as background and context) of a specific type of innovative journalistic
product, namely autochthonous news app, with special attention to evening news apps, and a
focus on identifying their contribution to the complexification and differentiation of the mobile
information ecosystem in an environment of convergent multi-platform journalism.

As elements of the new mobile ecosystem, evening newspaper apps for tablets are specially
designed products that form part of the multiplatform information landscape. They are
newcomers to the contemporary media ecosystem, characterized by fluid, horizontalized
production, resulting in a multimedia continuum (Barbosa, 2013) and they constitute a rich field
for the identification and observation of innovative features in journalistic production.

The premise to be explored in this text is that ‘autochthonous’ apps – i.e., created by specialized
teams, producing exclusive materials for mobile platforms, with distinct treatment of contents
(Barbosa,
Note: Firmino
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for now, however, Firmino
please make sure to da
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references and2013) – are works.
citing other productsFor which
example:exist and compete in a new innovation cycle with regards
to the editorial line, treatment of information, design, formats, and use of multimedia language.
As such, they may be considered as prime spaces for experimentation with new affordances such
as tactilityof(Palacios
As elements & Da Cunha,
the new mobile ecosystem,2012) personalization
evening newspaperand geolocation,
apps as well
for tablets are as a designed
specially breeding
ground for new business models, consumer dynamics, circulation, recirculation
products that form part of the multiplatform information landscape. They are newcomers to the and response to
journalisticmedia
contemporary content.
ecosystem, characterized by fluid, horizontalized production, resulting in a
multimedia continuum [1]
Brazil has been one of the leading countries in the production of evening news apps. Their
emergence,
In March marked
2012, six years by
aftera its
convergent and multi-platform
launch, Twitter announced it haslogic, has been
140 million designed
active to take
users, with 340
advantage
million tweets of theevery
sent way day
content
[2] is consumed on tablets during the evening period, i.e., in what is
known as ‘lean-back’ mode, when the user is usually at home, more relaxed and with a
(pre)disposition to explore longer, more complex/ sophisticated textual constructions and/or
ThenHD/multimedia
in the References content.
section, the numbers should be indicated at the beginning of each reference

[1] The emergence

Barbosa, of these convergente
S. (2013). Jornalismo journalistic apps formultimídia
e continuum tablets can alsogeração
na quinta be associated with
do jornalismo em aredes
general boost
digitais. In J.
in the consumption of content on tablets and smartphones, thereby opening new horizons to
Canavilhas (Ed.). Notícias e mobilidade: o jornalismo na era dos dispositivos digitais (pp. 33–54). Covilhã: Livros Labcom.
business models directed towards a mobile ecosystem. Prospects of economic sustainability seem
to be rising, based on the innovation and creation of narrative forms more aligned to audiences
who have
[2] Twitter. already
2012. “Twitter identified
Turns with
Six.” Twitter Blog,the platform’s
March potentialities, particularities and distinctions,
21. http://blog.twitter.com/2012/03/
vis-a-vis other media formats.
twitter-turns-six.html.

The methodological approach is qualitative and employs theoretical constructs created by

(Theresearchers
text in blackatabove
the Convergent
is an exampleJournalism Laboratory
for references using theProject, especially
ACM format the notion of innovation
required)
gradients as a derivation of Gartner’s Hype Cycle (Palacios, Barbosa, Firmino da Silva, & Da
Cunha, 2014).
The theoretical and conceptual framework of journalistic convergence, developed by a large
contingent of the authors in several countries, will also be central to situate the phenomenon of
evening news apps.

Twitter as a reporting tool for breaking news

Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has attracted significant research interest because of the
openness of the platform, easy access to data and the insight such data offer in better
understanding a range of communication practices, from interpersonal, everyday communication,
to the ways in which Twitter plays a role in breaking news situations, thus increasingly attracting
the attention of journalism scholars. In March 2012, six years after its launch, Twitter announced
it has 140 million active users, with 340 million tweets sent every day (Twitter 2012).

During different crisis events, from popular uprisings, to the aftermath of natural disasters,
information infrastructures may be affected, shut down altogether and traditional media outlets
may have considerable difficulties in getting to locations and verifying information. Verification
of information is one of the cornerstones of journalism.

With the deluge of information that social media can produce, information verification is a real
challenge and social media content, especially images, are treated with particular caution for use
in news (Lyon 2012). Newsrooms have started developing sophisticated mechanisms through
which the authenticity of social media images can be verified, such as the BBC Verification Hub
(Turner 2012). Additionally, new news organizations like Storyful offer further services to help
with such verification (Little 2012). In breaking news situations, user-generated content can be
overwhelming for news organizations to deal with especially if they have no reporters on the
ground.

Thus Bruno (2011, 8) has pointed to a so-called “Twitter Effect”, where Twitter provides “live
coverage without any reporters on the ground, by simply newsgathering user generated content
available online”. During the UK riots, The Guardian itself aimed to encourage the delivery of
more accurate user-generated content, specifically on Twitter by highlighting “nine ways to use
Twitter responsibly” (Hamilton 2011). These tips included: “Unless you can see it happening,
don’t tweet it”; “If you see rumours [on Twitter], question them directly”; “Get verification”; “If
you see something you know isn’t true, try to correct it”; “Follow people you trust to be
accurate.”
If we temporarily cast our minds back to a time before Twitter, we can see a continuation in the
types of communication highlighted during earlier events. For those on the ground in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the collapse of communication networks meant that
coordinating a response was severely hampered.
Local media provided a vital resource for those able to connect to the internet, creating online
spaces where people could find information and connect with one another.

Moving again to the contemporary moment, the role of Twitter in crisis situations such as the
Arab Spring, Christchurch earthquake, Queensland floods and Japanese earthquake, tsunami and
nuclear disaster, as well as the UK riots have not only highlighted Twitter as an important
platform for breaking news (see e.g. Murthy 2011 and Bruns et al. 2012 for useful overviews),
but also pointed to the importance of key agents such as the emergency services who are able to
share important information in real time, for example through “hashtags” allowing for the
labelling and easy location of tweets.
Known for its real-time, short 140 character updates, Twitter creates an environment of
constantly fragmented updates, an “awareness system” (Hermida 2012), which users curate
through streams based on who they follow. Hermida (2010) and Bruns (2010) have both
characterized this fragmented environment containing streams of information from professional
journalists and non-professionals “ambient journalism”.
Hermida (2012, 2) further posits: “As ambient journalism, Twitter provides a mix of news,
information and comments, usually connected to current reality, but without an established
order.” This structure thus expands the number of different agents potentially involved in the
production of journalistic products, most notably news.
The role and potential of Twitter for journalism is therefore a rapidly growing area of research.
Broadly speaking, studies so far have concentrated on the way new social media technologies,
including Twitter, are reshaping journalism, affecting news production and online consumption
(Bruns and Highfield 2012; Newman 2011; Newman, Dutton, and Blank 2012), on the one hand,
while other studies have specifically looked at how journalists themselves have adapted to social
media. These latter studies often focus on the use of Twitter as part of their everyday journalistic
routines within a recognized set of journalistic norms. So far, they have noted general trends
most frequently through analysis of the Twitter accounts of large groups of often
“elite” journalists (Holcomb, Gross, and Mitchell 2011), alongside more narrowly focused
studies that have highlighted specific types of journalists and their Twitter use, such as foreign
correspondents (Cozma and Chen 2012), or examined gender differences between Twitter-using
journalists (Lasorsa 2012).
What these studies have largely found is that Twitter was generally not used as a reporting tool
but more frequently used to promote content from the journalists’ own news organization,
sending users back to their the main website. Finally, other studies have interviewed individual
journalists about their use, often through early adoption of the platform (Newman 2011). Media
profiles further highlight individual journalist’s Twitter prowess and innovative use like NPR’s
Andy Carvin (Kiss 2011). A new study by Hermida, Lewis, and Zamith (2012) offers further
insight into how Carvin’s use of sources differed from those of the mainstream media during his
Twitter coverage of the Arab Spring, thus pointing to the possible emergence of new journalistic
conventions on Twitter.
 ● Highlight important background information related to your proposed solution

2.5. Proposed Solution

● Provide a high-level description of what you plan to accomplish
● Outline what you plan to demonstrate

2.5.1. Procedures and Methods

● Describe the theoretical grounding associated with the study
● Describe the research approach to be followed
● Discuss all data collection techniques to be used, including specifics of the
sources of data; for instance study participants and sampling techniques to
be used
● Discuss data analysis techniques to be used
● Outline the software development methodology to be followed,
including justification(s)
● State how the proposed system will be evaluated
● Outline the measurement instruments that will be used, and include them in
the appendices section

2.5.2. Ethical Consideration

● Outline
Note: Ethical all issues
Considerations: associated
outline with research
all issues associated ethics ethics:
with research
Under the ethical considerations, indicate that:
The privacy
2.5.3. ProjectofManagement
research participants’ contributions will be upheld
Research participants will not be subjected to harm in any ways
The following project management details must be included in the proposal document:
Full consent will be obtained from the participants prior to the study
● Work Breakdown Structure
● Risk Management
● Resources
● Project Timeline
● RACI Matrix

Note: Project Management: The Work Breakdown Structure can be included in a tabular form,
this indicates the activities that will be done in the project (1 activity on each table row)
 2.6. Anticipated Outcome
● Highlight all anticipated outcomes upon successful completion of the project
○ Key features of the proposed system to be implemented, including major
design challenges
○ Potential impact of the project, once successfully completed

2.7. References
● Sources included in the proposal document must be cited and referenced
using the prescribed referencing style—ACM reference format (Citation Style
and Reference Formats, n.d.).
● The literature must comprise peer-reviewed publications, technical reports
and/or Web resources, from reputable publication venues: this means NO
Wikipedia references!

3. Grading Rubric
Grading is based on the aspects outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Research Proposal Grading Rubric

# Assessment Category Marks
1 Content Quality 70
1.1 Project Description 5
1.2 Problem Statement 5
1.3 Research Objectives and Questions 10
1.4 Related Work/Literature Review/Background 30
1.5 Research Methodology 15
1.6 Research Ethics 3
1.7 Anticipated Outcomes 2
2 Project Management 20
2.1 Project Timeline—Gantt chart with milestones and deliverables 10
2.2 Work Breakdown—Team member's work breakdown clearly outlined 5
2.3 Risk Management—Risk identification, mitigation and management 5
3 Style and Formatting 10
3.1 Language and Grammar 5
3.2 Citation and References—Prescribed citation style adhered to 5

Note: Instructions: instructions like the Grading Rubric, Formatting Guidelines and Submission
Instructions can be removed from your Project Proposal document / should not appear in your
document
4. Formatting Guidelines
● The proposal document must conform to the ACM Conference Proceedings
“Master” template (ACM Primary Article Template, n.d.).
● The document should be between 2000 and 5000 words—between four and 10
pages—including floats and references.
● The submissions must be self-contained and in English.
● NOTE: Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will result in loss
of marks.

5. Submission Instructions
● Submit an electronic copy of your assignment solution, in PDF format, via
The Moodle1 by 23H59 GMT+2 on Friday May 7, 2021.
○ Document filename MUST be: docs-UNZA21-ict4014-
project_team_16-project_proposal.pdf
● No late, printed or handwritten submissions will be accepted.

6. Bibliography

ACM Primary Article Template. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from

https://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template

Citation Style and Reference Formats. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from

https://www.acm.org/publications/authors/reference-formatting

REFERENCES

Twitter. 2012. “Twitter Turns Six.” Twitter Blog, March 21. http://blog.twitter.com/2012/03/

twitter-turns-six.html.

Bruno, Nicola. 2011. Tweet First, Verify Later? How Real-time Information Is Changing the Coverage of Worldwide Crisis

Events. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism,

University of Oxford. http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/ Publications/fellows__papers/2010-

2011/tweet_first_verify_later.pdf.
Bruns, Axel, and Tim Highfield. 2012. “Blogs, Twitter, and Breaking News: The Produsage of

Citizen Journalism.” In Produsing Theory in a Digital World: The Intersection of Audiences

and Production in Contemporary Theory, edited by Rebecca Ann Lind, 15–32. New York:

Peter Lang.

Bruno, Nicola. 2011. Tweet First, Verify Later? How Real-time Information Is Changing the Coverage of Worldwide Crisis

Events. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism,

University of Oxford. http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/

Publications/fellows__papers/2010-2011/tweet_first_verify_later.pdf.

Hermida, Alfred. 2012. “Tweets and Truth: Journalism as a Discipline of Collaborative

Verification.” Journalism Practice 6 (5–6): 659–68. doi:10.1080/17512786.2012.667269.

Barbosa, S. (2013). Jornalismo convergente e continuum multimídia na quinta geração do jornalismo em redes digitais. In J.

Canavilhas (Ed.). Notícias e mobilidade: o jornalismo na era dos dispositivos digitais (pp. 33–54). Covilhã: Livros Labcom.

Barbosa, S., Firmino da Silva, F., & Nogueira, L. (2014). Análise da convergência de conteúdos em produtos jornalísticos com

presença multiplataforma. In E.C. Pellanda, & S. Barbosa (Eds.), Jornalismo e mídias móveis no contexto da convergência

(pp.95-126). Porto Alegre: EdiPUCRS.

Palacios, M., Barbosa, S., Firmino da Silva, F., & Da Cunha, R. (2014). Aplicativos jornalísticos vespertinos para tablets.

Cartografia do fenômeno ante o desafio de uma produção original e inovadora. Sur le Journalisme, 3(2), 40–55.

Palacios, M. S., & Da Cunha, R. (2012). A tactilidade em dispositivos móveis: Primeiras reflexões e ensaio de tipologias.

Contemporanea (Bologna, Italy), 10(3), 668–685.