EFFECT OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM ON THE

READERSHIP OF PRINT COPIES OF THE

NEWSPAPERS IN KENYA

AUTHORS

RENSON MWAKANDANA

WAYNE LUMBASI

DAVID OWINO

BRIAN NDEGWA

SAADIA ISMAEL

A thesis submitted to the Department of Media Technology and Applied Communication in the
School of Communication and Development Studies in partial fulfillment for the requirements of
the award of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism of Jomo Kenyatta University of
Agriculture and Technology.

2022
 DECLARATION

i) This thesis is my original work and has not been submitted to any university for a degree

course.

________ _______

Signature Date

ii) This thesis has been submitted for examination with my approval as University Supervisor.

___________ ___________

Signature. Date
 PREFACE

This dissertation is submitted for the Bachelor's degree in Journalism at the Jomo Kenyatta

University of Agriculture and Technology.

This work is to the best of our knowledge apart from where references and acknowledgement

has been made to previous works.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank the Chair of the department of media technology and our Supervisor

Madam Asmahan Mohamed. She has played a vital role of support and guidance whenever we

got our path wrong upon doing this project and up to its completion. Our classmates and

stakeholders of the school fraternity have given us a selfless easy time all along. Thank you.
 ABSTRACT

Due to the emergence of the digital journalism and the continued production of printed

newspapers, a gap is left whereby it is unclear whether the print copies of newspapers are

effective and serve a purpose. A study is conducted to investigate the effect of digital journalism

on readership of print newspaper. The following objectives are laid down:

i. To assess the effect of social media accounts on the readership of print copies of the

newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

ii. To assess the effect of news based user generated content types on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

iii. To assess the effect of digitalization of newspapers on the readership of print copies

of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

The target population for the study was staff members of Nation Media group working at Daily

Nation. The total number of the office staff was 144. The sampling technique used in this study

was stratified random sampling. Stratified random sampling was used by partitioning the

population into subpopulation or sub-groups from where samples were obtained. The sample

from each subpopulation will be obtain via convenience method.

The instrument and tools used for data collection in this research was the questionnaire method.
The questionnaires were both closed ended and open ended. Where we distributed the
questionnaire to anonymous individuals in different demographics where they were free to
answer the questions.
We also were able to seek some information from Nation Media group that were able to help us
get more information in the research project. The study used the Cronbach Coefficient alpha
method in order to determine the internal consistency of the variables.

The results show that E-Papers are cheaper through subscription and easy to access by the masses as

the cost of the Internet continues to decline. The study also found that a majority of the respondents

found social media accounts to be very important. It certainly seems as though the future of books,

newspapers, and magazines is under threat. This raises concerns about how soon print media will

undergo the changes that some anticipate, as well as if there will be a lengthy period of co-development

with digital media. These factors have led to notable reduction in print media sales as readers flock to

online media platforms, thereby, reducing circulation of newspapers.

 Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2

1.1 Background of the study........................................................................................................2

1.1.1 Newspapers in Kenya.........................................................................................................6

1.2 Statement of the problem.......................................................................................................7

1.3 Objectives of the Research....................................................................................................8

1.3.1 Main Objective...............................................................................................................8

1.3.2 Specific Objectives.........................................................................................................8

1.5 Justification of the study........................................................................................................9

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study.....................................................................................10

1.7. Limitations of the study......................................................................................................10

CHAPTER TWO...........................................................................................................................11

LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................................11

2.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................11

2.2. Theoretical review..............................................................................................................11

2.2.1. Uses and gratification theory.......................................................................................12

2.2.2. Agenda setting theory..................................................................................................15

2.3. Empirical review.................................................................................................................17

 2.3.1. The social media accounts on digital journalism on the readership of print copies....17

2.3.2. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of
print copies of the newspapers...............................................................................................19

2.3.3. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies..................25

2.3.4. Readership of print newspapers...................................................................................28

2.4 Conceptual Framework........................................................................................................32

CHAPTER THREE.......................................................................................................................33

REASERCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................33

3.1. Introduction........................................................................................................................33

3.2. Research Design................................................................................................................33

3.3. Population of the Study......................................................................................................34

3.4. Sample and sampling techniques....................................................................................35

3.4.1. Sampling frame............................................................................................................35

3.4.2. Sampling Technique....................................................................................................35

3.4.3. Sample Size determination..........................................................................................35

3.5. Data Collection Tools........................................................................................................37

3.5.1. Instrumentation............................................................................................................37

3.5.1. Data collection procedure............................................................................................38

3.6. Validity and reliability........................................................................................................38

3.6.1. Validity of the Research Instruments..........................................................................38

3.6.2. Reliability of the Research Instruments.......................................................................39

 3.7. Data Analysis and Presentation..........................................................................................40

3.8. Ethical Consideration in the Research Study......................................................................42

CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................................43

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION...........................................43

4.1. Introduction........................................................................................................................43

4.2. Response Rate.....................................................................................................................43

4.3. Socio-demographic characteristics.....................................................................................44

4.3.1. Employment duration..................................................................................................46

4.3.2. Office of assignment....................................................................................................47

4.4. The social media accounts of digital journalism on the readership of print copies............48

4.5. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of print

copies of the newspapers...........................................................................................................49

4.6. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies.........................50

4.7. The readership of print copies of the newspapers in Kenya...............................................51

4.8. Multiple regression analysis...............................................................................................52

CHAPTER FIVE...........................................................................................................................54

CONCLUSIONS, SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................54

5.1. Introduction........................................................................................................................54

5.2. Summary.............................................................................................................................54
 5.2.1. The social media accounts of digital journalism on the readership of print copies.....54

5.2.2. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of
print copies of the newspapers...............................................................................................55

5.2.3. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies..................56

5.3. Conclusion..........................................................................................................................57

5.4. Recommendation................................................................................................................58

References......................................................................................................................................59
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

From the time the first print newspapers were published, newspapers have continued to face

serious challenge. The first challenge that newspapers faced was the radio. The coming of the

radio brought competition to newspapers and though it was somehow affected it survived the

competition and print newspapers continued to exist side by side with radio. Television also

came on the scene and provided competition to newspapers. But despite the coming of radio and

television and their growth and the popularity of the broadcast media, newspaper has somehow

wagged off this competition and has continued to exist in Kenya and the world over.

However, a new competitor in online publications (social media) has come on the scene and is

posing a serious threat to the existence of print newspapers. Online publications which are

accessed through internet on mobile phones, tablets, and computers are proving to be a serious

competitor to traditional newspapers because they are providing people with easy access to news

and information at the touch of a button. The coming of online publications which is as a result

of advancement in technology has changed the way people consume information. People rarely

buy newspapers as they now depend more on social media and online publications to get latest

updates of news. Watson (2016) said people are spending more and more time online and as of

2015 there were 3 billion internet users, 2 billion active social media users and more than more

than 1.6 billion mobile social accounts.

According to Bresinger et al. (2017) the newspaper has long been seen as a critical point of

connection within one’s community. However, in an increasingly electronic and global age, the

grasp of this traditional news medium is weakening (Bresinger et al. 2014). This view is

corroborated by the Pew Research Center (2014)’s report that since the fall of 2013, there has

been a dramatic and conspicuous migration of high-profile journalists to digital news ventures.

The innovation of the internet has seen newspaper publishers adapt and apply it to improve and

change existing practices in the print media industry (Lauf & Wurff, 2015). Development in

technology has definitely transformed the way newspapers have traditionally been produced,

distributed and read.

Globally, in Australia, the first national survey of the current state of play of online news

consumption in Australia indicate that the Internet as a news medium has reached a mainstream

status in terms of audience sizes, although its penetration is still within a higher socio-economic

segment of the society; many distinctive features of online news have been substantially used

and appreciated; and from the perspective of innovation diffusion theory, online news has a

notable potential to foster further adoption in the years ahead (Nguyen et al. 2015). Another

example of the effects of Digital Age in mature markets, is in the United States of America

(USA), Newspaper Advertising Revenues fell from $44.9 billion in 2003 to a mere $16.4 billion

in 2014. This is according to the Newspaper Association of the United States of America as

reported by the Pew Research Centre (Barthel, 2016). According to The Wall Street Journal

(Vranica & Marshall, 2016) Newspaper Advertising is now facing an accelerated drop in Print

Advertising and Global spend and the same is expected to decline to by 7% to $52.6 billion in
2016, according to estimates from GroupM. This would be the biggest drop since the recession,

when world-wide spending plummeted 13.7% in 2009. Another example from the mature market

is the United Kingdom (UK) where Newspaper Circulation (Readership) has been on a steady

decline since 2010.

The best example of a growing Newspaper Industry or “the Sun rising in the East” is India. India

is a Country located in South Asia and is the world’s largest democracy with a total population

of 1.2 billion people and is also the world’s fourth largest economy (The World Bank, 2016b).

Despite Newspaper Industry in India being a fairly young in comparison to Europe or America,

as of 31st March 2015, the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) indicated that India had a

total of 1,05,443 registered newspapers/periodicals in 23 different languages. RNI however

admits that a good number of these exist only “in paper”. RNI goes ahead to state that most

number of Newspapers registered are in Hindi (42,493) followed by English (13,661), Marathi

(7,818), Gujarati (4,836) and Urdu (4,770). The lowest number are registered in Dogri Language

(2), followed by Kashmiri and Bodo and (Dubbudu, 2015).

In Africa, especially in Zimbabwe, Chari (2011) has pointed out that the internet has

fundamentally transformed the media landscape. However, unlike other authors who are either

enthusiastic or pessimistic Chari (2011) has noted that the technology has spawned new practices

whose impact on the printed newspaper could be described as contradictory. For Chari (2011)

the internet is a boon for small African publications that are now able to assert their presence

globally through online editions thus, improving their readership. However, the same technology
portends the demise of the printed newspaper due to competition presented by these online

editions (Chari 2011). In other words, the internet has been to the printed newspaper a “terrible

beauty”. (Chari 2011). Chari (2011) concludes that while considerable interest is shown for the

internet newspaper the print newspaper is far from extinction.

Regionally, the practice of journalism on the digital platforms has been on the rise. Despite the cost

of bundles and gadgets, East African journalists have not shied away from exploiting digital

technology in news sourcing including sensitive ones (Mudhai, 2012). Mudhai (2012) cites some of

the journalistic practices that have emerged in digital era as the mobile journalism, integration of

social networking sites and blogging, the latter of which is used by both journalists and citizens

sometimes touching on issues and topic that would not find space in mainstream media. Another

journalistic practice is the use of websites. Hilliard (2002) cited in Mudhai (2012), notes that as early

as 1997 alone, there were at least 18 online newspapers in East Africa.

In Kenya, technological improvements have been made in order for audiences to access online

papers besides the printed copies that traditionally existed. This has transformed the market

segments into audiences which in turn transforms them into consumers of particular media

services or products. (Genesis, 2013). Kenyan news media, as in the rest of Africa, new media

technology ‘‘has been domesticated to varying degrees, and is increasingly becoming one of the

drivers of everyday news making routines’’ (Muindi, 2018). This research involved a study of the

effect of the internet on the sales of traditional version that is the print newspapers in Kenya. The

study seeks to make a comparison between the print and online newspapers in terms of features,
production and writing styles used. The study also investigates how the media industry in Kenya

is coping with the transition from print newspapers to online platform-based newspapers.

1.1.1 Newspapers in Kenya

The Kenyan media is among the most vibrant in Africa and indeed in the developing world and

as thus Kenyans have been accorded unparalleled access to both broadcast and print media

(MCK, 2011). In Kenya newspapers are recognized for their originality and credibility as news

providers and published by media conglomerates that have broadcasting and online platforms

(Nyabuga and Booker, 2013). The newspaper industry in Kenya has developed over the years

with the readership and circulation of newspapers being highly dependent on the type of

newspaper and the target group.

The dominant publishing houses are the Nation Media Group and the Standard Group. They

have the largest market share in Kenya. ‘The Standard’ is the oldest newspaper that started in

1902, published by the Standard Group, comes in daily editions between Monday to Friday with

‘The Standard on Saturday’ and ‘The Sunday Standard’ being published every Saturday and

Sunday respectively. The Group also publishes ‘The County Weekly’ which puts into focus the

issues and developments in the forty-seven counties of Kenya. All these editions highlight the

news happenings through the week.

The Nation Media Group (NMG) started publication in 1959. ‘Daily Nation’ is available from

Monday to Friday while ‘Saturday Nation’ and ‘Sunday Nation’ are published on Saturdays and

Sundays respectively. They provide news ranging from politics, sports, business, entertainment
in Africa and across the world. NMG also publishes ‘The Business Daily’ which concentrates on

the business news in Kenya and its neighbours in the East African region. ‘The East African’ is

another NMG publication that focuses on aspects of news affecting the East African Region. The

group also publishes ‘Taifa Leo’ and ‘Taifa Jumapili’, a ‘Taifa Leo’ equivalent published on

Sundays.

Other major publications in Kenya are ‘The People Daily’, ‘Kenya Times’ and ‘The Star’. ‘The

People Daily’ is owned by Media Max Networks and it started in 1993 as a weekly publication.

It is currently produced daily. The ‘Kenya Times’ is no longer in publication and was formerly

‘Nairobi Times’. ‘The Star’, launched in 2007, is a publication of the Radio Africa Group.

Most newspapers produced for a long time encompassed news on all segments affecting the

society ranging from politics, sports, business and entertainment but in recent times, there has

been a shift with more focus being given to segmenting audiences depending on their readership

trends and likes.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Newspapers have been among the main source of news to the masses providing unmatched,

detailed, correct and truthful account of events. Nwodu (2012) explains that Newspapers

provides better interpretation or in-depth stories that place developmental issues and facts in

greater perspectives. Newspapers are also objective in nature and a trusted mode of transmitting

news and information to the masses. Muhammadali (2011) adds that newspapers content are
considered more credible and accurate and are favorable medium by the working class because

of their capacity to be used for future reference.

However, the coming of online publications has brought serious challenges to newspapers as

people are now opting to online publications to get their news. Carpentier et. al. (2010) said

people are increasingly embracing digitalization because it allows them to express their views in

cyber spaces adding that internet and its instruments like online publications has become a

necessity and is unavoidable.

The news sector has and is still undergoing significant changes with the gathering and

distribution of news. Developments in technology have revolutionized the process of production

of newspapers with digitization of the internet bringing changes to the newspaper publishing

markets. Newspapers have existed in print form but have in the recent past transitioned to the

online platforms through the websites of their respective publishers. The availability of online

newspapers besides the traditional print newspaper has provided readers with an alternative

choice from which they can access their daily newspapers.

Owing to this emergence of the digital journalism and the continuing production of printed

newspapers, a gap is left whereby it is not known whether the print media is effective or it has

already passed time and must be abolished. This makes the researcher to investigate the effect of

digital journalism on readership of print newspaper.

1.3 Objectives of the Research

1.3.1 Main Objective

To assess the effect of digital journalism on the readership of print copies of the newspapers in

Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this research include:

iv. To assess the effect of social media accounts on the readership of print copies of the

newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

v. To assess the effect of news based user generated content types on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

vi. To assess the effect of digitalization of newspapers on the readership of print copies

of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

1.4 Research Questions

This research will be guide by the following research questions:-

i. What is the effect of social media accounts on the readership of print copies of the

newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper?

ii. What is the effect of news based user generated content types on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper?

iii. What is the effect of digitalization of newspapers on the readership of print copies of

the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper?

1.5 Justification of the study

This paper will help the media houses on what type of news outlet has an increased readership.

This will help in strategic development and modify operations to harness more of the best media.

Moreover, the traditionally practiced news media will be assessed and checked for profitability

due to this paper. To advertising companies, the right media will help them obtain a higher

viewership and hence increased product sale. This will be obtained by the finding from this

research. Other researchers will also find the paper to review literature from, scholars will find

their secondary reference point and new knowledge on effect of digital journalism on print

newspaper readership in Kenya will be availed. All of these justifies the importance of doing the

study.

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study

This research focuses on the effect of the internet on the readership of print copies of the

newspaper. It also involves a comparative analysis of the content in terms of the features,

production and writing styles of both the online and print versions of the ‘Daily Nation’

newspaper. The target population for this study was the all staff members of Nation Media

Group working Daily Nation. Stratified random sampling was used and no intervention was

offered to the respondents.

1.7. Limitations of the study

The study was limited to the opinions of the respondents. Use of secondary data was not done.

This limited the data collection to opinions of respondent.

 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW.

2.1 Introduction.

This chapter constitutes of the theoretical framework of the research the conceptual framework,

review of variables and critique of other researches done in the same light. Finally, this chapter

entails the summary of the literature review.

2.2. Theoretical review

This part of the project tries to review the theories that will help guide through the research. It

consists of the theories governing the shift from print copies of newspapers to online platforms.

Specifically, the section deals with the use and gratification theory, which entails the audience’s

choice of media content to consume in order to satisfy their needs. The researchers tend to focus

on what the audiences want to consume rather than what the media intend to influence on the

masses.

The other theory we are focusing on is the agenda setting theory, whereby the theory explores on

how the media houses tries to direct the masses on what they want the masses to consume rather

than what the masses want to consume. The Agenda Setting Theory looks into how the media

directs what people think in regard to technological advances in media forms that have given

them an opportunity to fully engage with the media.

2.2.1. Uses and gratification theory.
The uses and gratifications theory attempts to explain the uses and functions of the media for

individuals, groups, and society in general. David (2016) explains that the uses and gratification

theory seeks to understand why people seek out the media that they do and what they use it for.

The theory differs from other media effect theories in that it assumes that individuals have power

over their media usage, rather than positioning individuals as passive consumers of media. It

explores how individuals deliberately seek out media to fulfil certain needs or goals such as

entertainment, relaxation, or socializing. In the mass communication process, uses and

gratifications approach puts the function of linking need gratifications and media choice clearly

on the side of audience members. Poopola (2012) simply puts it the uses and gratifications

approach shifts focus from the purposes of the communicator to the purposes of the receiver.

It suggests that people’s needs influence what media they choose, how they use certain media

and what gratifications the media give them. Papacharisssi & Zizi (2009) states that consumers

of the uses and gratifications theory use the media to satisfy specific needs or desires.

Practitioners of the uses and gratification theory study the ways the public consumes media. It

explains that people have needs and seek out media content to fulfil those needs. This is because

people normally think of content as that which provides immediate gratification, relaxation and

respite for the consumer as explained by Shoemaker & Reese (1996).

There are also a number of reasons why people chose what type of the media over the other and

one of the reasons is the family communication patterns which tend to affect the way parents and
their children use the media. Papacharisssi & Zizi (2009) said many people use online media and

the internet in general to seek out information to seek out entertainment, to find information, to

communicate with like-minded individuals, or to pursue self-express. People can search for

specific information and can browse from site to site to look for content which meets their needs.

The structure of the frame work was initially developed by Harold Laswell in the 1940’s by

creating a four-functional interpretation of the media on a macro-sociological level. However, it

was much established and developed by Jay Blumler and Dennis Mcquail in the 1970’s. The two

came together in 1969 and studied the 1964 election in the United Kingdom by examining

people’s motives for watching certain political programs on television. They broke this down

within the 1970’s where the further developed by the theory, the were joined by the likes of

Joseph brown, Eli Katz,Micheal Gurevitch and Hadaas Hatch within years in the exploration of

this theory.

This theory sits on the opposite spectrum of the Hypodermic needle theory or the Magic Bullet

theory as well known by others. Which suggests that media has complete power over the

audiences and that the audience are completely inactive in the participation of media

consumption. They simply consume what they are given and are affected by that, this is saying

that media is what shapes the modern-day culture.

Uses and Gratification theory is the complete opposite of what has been described above. It

suggests that media has no real power over the audiences instead the audiences are active

participants in the media uses. The name of the theory comes from the idea that the media
actually fulfills a need. The audiences have certain needs that they need to fulfilled and the

choose what best suits them and consume that. A good example in line with this particular

research is that the audience have the power on what type of media to consume their content.

This has forced the media organizations to shift from traditional media to digital type of media.

Which has obviously changed the whole concept of the relationship between the media and the

audiences. Due to technological advancements the audience shifted to digital platforms forcing

the media organizations to do the same this clearly shows the power the audience has over the

media, them being active participants.

The framework of the Uses and Gratification Theory was, as earlier established, formed by

Harold Laswell in the 1940’s when he was trying to poke holes in the hypodermic needle theory.

He asked questions such as, who is the media?, Can they be trusted?, To who is the message

being passed to?, Which channel is being used to pass the message?, What effect does this have

if any?

This led Laswell to focus on the “Audience” more specifically in which according to previous

theories was found to be the product, very inactive and very passive. He went on to propose the

now four famous functions of the media to the audiences.

Surveillance: The media serves to inform the audience what is happening around them. An

example that is related to this research is how we choose what media we choose to give

information. Social media platforms such as twitter a Facebook have made surveillance more

accessible and easier. Personal identity; The media helps the audience to form an identity of who
they really are. For example, one might tune on the Oprah Show in order t get her view point on

an issue and because they look up to her inculcate those values in their lives hence forming part a

of who they really are. Forming Personal relationships; We some sort of a bond with character

we see on show or people we meet online. We choose with who to create a relationship with and

who not to. We also use the media to create a relationship with the flesh and blood around us.

Diversion; We use the media as a form of escapism and entertainment away from the real world.

It is used as a form of time passing with actually no real value to our development as human

beings.

The theory unfortunately only focuses on the positives picked by the audiences not putting into

consideration negative effects of how the audiences use what the consume. A good example is on

how the consumption of violent types of content have made people very susceptible violent

actions. Others even hurtless to the hurting of their fellow humans. Does not also take in to

account the mindless media consumption that is in the modern day a common habit. Its is more

often than not you will find someone having switched on a television set only for it to act as a

background for them to do other activities. Hence does not necessarily have to serve either of the

four functions. Finally, the theory is seriously flawed since its information is solely based on

qualitative data. It does not take into account the complex nature of human beings.

2.2.2. Agenda setting theory.

Agenda setting theory is a theory of mass communication which explains the characteristic of

media houses to enforce their content which is in their in their interest onto its audience rather
than publishing what the audience wants. Through this way, media houses tend to attractively

create an eye-catching picture of the content which instills desire in the reader and divert their

attention from what they initially thought they needed. The media houses determine what

becomes of the focus public interest.

Tracing history, agenda setting theory was first founded by two professors, Maxwell McCombs

and Donald Show in 1972 as they surveyed North Carolina, U.S voters in the presidential

election back in the year 1968. They found that what people deemed important was what the

media published as critical. Thus, this theory was born and developed on the ideology that media

has the power to determine what the main focus of its audience should be.

This theory is based on two major assumptions: First, the theory claims that media shapes and

constructs information towards the angle they want the audience to see it rather than publish

information that can be of relevance to them. An example is that a newspaper will boldly and

visibly place a scandalous story at the top of the page and almost invisibly write a legislative tax

reform which is more important to the audience. Second, what the media gives emphasis on

stands a high chance to be considered important by readers or viewers. Media houses give their

audiences issues to think about or subjects to discuss rather than giving them an opportunity to

choose on what to think about. An importance of this theory is that, the more a story is given

relevance and repeatedly emphasized on, the more it familiarizes with the audience and can

easily be recalled even if it is not affecting them.

One of the issues with the agenda-setting theory is that it is difficult to measure. Research on the

theory has been mainly unconvincing in creating a causal connection between public prominence

and media coverage and in 2018, with the universal influence of the internet and social media,

where almost everyone can find information, they’re looking for instead of being inhibited by

just relying on one or two sources, it’s harder to convince others that the mass media is setting

the agenda. To add to that, the theory doesn’t work for people who have already made up their

minds. For example, someone might believe that his or her elected official was the right choice

for office, despite numerous compelling reports to the contrary presented by the mass media

2.3. Empirical review

2.3.1. The social media accounts on digital journalism on the readership of print copies

People are going to social media to seek for news because there is always latest news which

people love either confirmed or gossips. And this news from online publications can easily be

accessed at the touch of a button unlike in print newspaper were today’s news has to wait for the

following day. Most of the news that is read in newspapers or heard on radio or television is first

released on social media before the mainstream media breaks it. Kamp (2016) however stated

that while it is true that online publications and other social media sites have disrupted the way

news breaks, it has also been argued that information that “breaks” on social media sites is often

still not considered “news” by the general public until mainstream media confirms it through

valid sources.
In Zambia for example, there are many stories that were first released by online media including

the death of President Michael Sata but were only believed to be true after it was confirmed by

mainstream media. This is why (Namaiko, 2017) quoted Catherine Namugala, the Deputy

Speaker of National Assembly telling parliamentarians to follow right channels to deal with

matters of concerns and not rely on information circulating on social media to make decisions.

This was after concerns by some MPs who raised points of orders citing information on social

media.

A number of studies were conducted across the world on readership of print and online

newspapers. The main focus of these studies was on content preferences, popularity, and reading

time. For instance, the findings of Findahl (2008) revealed that since the Internet was introduced,

readership of print newspapers has slightly changed in Sweden and most obviously in Denmark,

Norway and Finland. In the same vein, Ihlström and Lundberg (2002) found that readership of

online newspapers has significantly increased in Sweden. Despite increase in online newspaper

reading, some findings predicted bright future for print newspapers. For instance, Nguyen and

Western (2006) established that print newspaper reading might considerably decline, especially

at a time when people make the internet most relied-on source of information, but it is doubtful

for online newspapers to absolutely replace or displace their print versions. It is evident that

readers who depend on the internet for news still read print newspapers

In another study, De Waal, et al (2004) found that online version of newspapers might slightly

substitute their print counterparts, but they do not seem to replace the entire functions of the print
versions vis-à-vis news and information. In addition, Salman, et al (2011) asserted that print

newspapers remain an important source of information in Malaysia, despite availability and

interactive nature of the internet, which becomes the most effective means of communication in

recent years. The findings of Chan (2007) indicated that the internet becomes the most effective

and preferred medium for information. But according to Thurman (20014), most of daily readers

still prefer print newspapers to their online counterparts in terms of local popularity.

It seems the Internet becomes a necessity for the survival newspapers, as most of them have

inevitably integrated web. In this regard, Everett (2011) argues that though the future of print

newspapers is equivocal, it will definitely include technology. This is because the internet

becomes a crucial and timely source of news for journalists, which facilitates the process of

newsgathering and dissemination due to the rich information it offers (Chari, 2009). This implies

that if the newspapers successfully embrace technology, they will continue to play their role as

informative and educative reading material, as well as credible source of information.

2.3.2. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers

User-generated content (UGC) is increasingly common in the online economy, often appearing

in forms of blogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures, videos, and social networks (Lee 2008). In 2008,

42.8% of Internet users (82.5 million people) contributed to some form of UGC, and it is

expected that this number will reach 51.8% by 2012 (114.5 million people) (Verna 2009). In the

case of news media, use of websites to integrate user content has intensified. For example, the
Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in its online version, offers readers the opportunity to add content

under the section titled “Journal Community.” In this digital platform, readers create groups

having particular interests (e.g., “The Mideast,” “The New Regulation Economy,” “American

Views on European Politics,” etc.) and share opinions on the subject. In addition, using this

platform, news readers can make comments or ask questions about stories published by WSJ

journalists. Similarly, CNN on its website has been broadcasting news videos called I-Reports

that are submitted by its audience. For these news companies, the impact of UGC on profitability

is unknown, as it can be a substitute to the professionally prepared content. A report by

Accenture (2007) confirms this concern by arguing that media owners see UGC as the biggest

threat to the survival of their businesses.

The internet has become a significant part of life, and social and political interactions for many

people around the world. It is no longer considered a luxury or supplementary as there are more

than 4.5 billion internet users worldwide, and 3.8 billion actives users on social media,

representing 59% of the global population, according to the annual digital report from Hootsuite

(Kemp, 2020).

The introduction of mobile technology also enhanced the way that people use the internet and it

allowed continuous access to the World Wide Web. Mobile phones have now become the most

convenient option for accessing the internet for many users as mobile phones accounted for more

than half of web traffic worldwide at the end of 2020 (Clement, 2020). Smartphones in particular

transform the way that news is gathered and distributed. What separates smartphones is their
ability to allow people to interact online and to produce visual content. A smartphone can be

defined as “a high-quality camera with video capability, and it allows the user to easily connect

to the web to disseminate the pictures. As a result, more and more people have the technology in

their pockets to very quickly film events they see around them and share them directly with

people who might be interested, as well as more widely via social networks” (Silverman, 2014)

This digital evolution started with Web 1.0, which was described as a web of information

connections. It lasted from 1989 to 2005 (Choudhury, 2014). This first generation of the internet

was considered to be a “read-only” web, according to the World Wide Web innovator, Tim

Berners-Lee (ibid). This means that the ability for content creation was limited in Web 1.0 with

the majority of users being just consumers of content. This changed dramatically in the second

generation of internet services known as Web 2.0. This emphasised participation, collaboration

and sharing content between internet users and it therefore expanded the role of content creation.

The term Web 2.0, which referred to a new transition in the internet, was coined by Tim O’Reilly

in 2006, who defines it on his website as: Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer

industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules

for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this Build applications that harness

network effects to get better the more people use them. (O’Reilly, 2006).

According to Choudhury (2014), Web 2.0 is not simply the latest version of the web but it also

involves collaborative content creation. This is considered to be one of the exceptional features

of Web 2.0, which helps to “gather collective intelligence rather than Web 1.0” (p.8096). The
emerge of Web 2.0 has opened many possibilities on the web. One of these possibilities is

enabling internet users to upload online content on the web that can be viewed or accessed by

any other user of the web. This has led to a massive growth in UGC (George and Scerri, 2007).

With many terms associated with audience participation in the media, UGC is considered to be a

broad term that includes content creation in the digital sphere. This includes any material that is

produced by internet users, and ranges from general discussion and comments on news platforms

to actual news materials that are produced and distributed via social media and blogs, which are

generally labelled as citizen journalism (Bivens, 2008). While UGC takes many forms

nowadays, researchers have identified three criteria for it: publication, creative work and

production outside of journalistic routines and practices. (Antonopoulos et al., 2020). Therefore,

networked journalism and citizen journalism could be seen as subcategories of UGC, which

indicates any journalistic performance conducted by unprofessional journalists (ibid).

This is especially the case with youth activists and bloggers who depend on social media as the

main platform on which to present their content due to its wide freedom and easy access.

Consequently, this new trend has had an impact on the news industry as its audience has become

both producers and receivers of this type of news. The trend has also raised the status of social

media to one of a valued source of news and information. This can be observed through the vital

role that citizen journalism played during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2010 and 2011, which

helped to promote this new form of journalism and encouraged citizens to become involved in

media production.
User-generated content in these platforms exists in different forms such as articles, blogs, videos,

photos and podcasts, which allow users to express their creativity in their contents. Moon (2014)

described these platforms as online environments where social media users could create virtual

communities which allow forms of participation, collaboration and opensource materials are

main characterises in these platforms. For the first time, these platforms allow ordinary citizens,

in the form of social media users, to wield power over real-life cultural, political and social

issues.

Audience contributions to mass media appears to have evolved over time, based on the value

these contributions have added to news coverage, and the impact they have made. In early stages,

for instance, audience participation in the production of media content was labelled as accidental

or amateur journalism (Newsroom, 2008). This view has changed over time to what we now

know as citizen journalism

Goode (2009) refers to citizen journalism as several internet practices that involve ordinary users

taking the initiative in journalistic practice, including reporting about current affairs, sharing

videos and photos, as well as witnessing and commenting on recent events. In the same way,

Rodrigues and Braham (2008) point out that the evolution of new media has a substantial role in

forming citizen journalism, which creates new ways for media audiences to participate in

broadcasting the news. Additionally, they argue that this growth eliminates many obstacles to

individual publishing, demolishes barriers between journalists and their audience and reshapes

the way we see audience participation in the media.

Alejandro (2010) added that though television, newspapers and radio are still here, there is a

growing competition from online publications and social media which are offering interactive

services to its users. This is because the moment online publications or other social media posts

their stories; people can immediately react to them by giving comments making it interactive

unlike with print newspapers were reactions or comments is done in subsequent publications.

He stated that people are also running to online publications because of its nature which allows it

to present information in a variety of forms such as word or text, pictures, and graphics, audio

and video unlike newspapers where a person is only limited to seeing texts, photos and graphics.

People who access online media have a variety of options to choose from either to watch videos,

read text, or see pictures and graphics which online media can easily put across. This is also

supported by The Media Insight project (2016).

With the coming of online media, print media is now playing a second fiddle with their role been

reduced to follow up as breaking news is first released by online media. This is summarized by

Alejandro (2010) who states that: News consumption today is not the same as in pre-satellite era

where people waited for their morning papers or sat down at an appointed time for the evening

news on television. More recently, a growing number of readers, viewers and listeners are going

online for their news.

Besides the broadcast media of television and radio, there is print media that can be in the form

of books, magazines and newspapers; the latter being the focus of this study. For a long time

throughout the world, when one talks of journalism, they predominantly have in mind the press –
a term that generally connotes newspapers. According to Merill (1983), when we think of

journalism, we think of media of mass communications – mainly newspapers, magazines, radio

and TV. The term press translates to the print media and more specifically newspapers.

The Gutenberg press started printing in 1453 with the first English language newspaper

appearing around the year 1620 (Locksley, 2009). According to Turrow (2011), newspapers are

printed products created on a regular (weekly or daily) basis and released in multiple copies and

by this definition, newspapers did not exist before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing

press. Technology has allowed individuals the ability to instantly access works that were once in

print form from the online platform. The various print forms can now be accessed from the

internet besides the hard copy versions that have been used.

2.3.3. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies

The 19th century saw numerous advances with many inventions that converged in the 20 th century

to transform the media. The 20th century witnessed the development of mass media and the

foundations of a global media were also established. The transformation of the media quickly

accelerated and the 21st century has seen the digitization of content as a consequence and its

global distribution over digital platforms to digital devices. The digital transformation

supplements traditional models and platforms and the changes in content distribution and

production (Locksley, 2009).

With increased access to information, the media has seen television sets, personal computers,

radio and newspapers take center stage in people’s lives and these have impacted greatly the
communication patterns of the world. People now have a lot of exposure and spend time with the

media which the use for various purposes and are able to access through their mobile phones.

The rapid growth and conception of the internet, people have voiced their opinions on the

imminent death of traditional journalism. Many believe that the culture as has existed is quickly

transitioning into a mostly digital world (Sullivan, 2012). The internet has led to a new media

that has not in any way replaced the existing media rather has found a way to survive by being

used concurrently with the old media. With the internet at everyone’s fingertips, everything can

now be accessed online with a possibility of users accessing the web through their phones.

The youths and young adults are the majority of the population who are going to online

publications for their news. This is because of their ability to know how to operate gadgets like

smart phones and computers which are used to access the internet. Newman (2016) et. al states

that online newspaper users tend to be young people who use smartphones while traditional

platforms like TV, radio, and print remain preferred sources of news for older generations. This

also corresponds with (Nayyar: 2016) who remarked that the so-called Millennials, or

Generation Y (born in the1980s and 1990s) and Generation Z (born in the 2000s) have taken

internet and smartphones as integral parts of their everyday lives. They spend on average more

than seven hours a day online, on their smartphones or on multiple devices and that they

consume far more digital space than physical media such as print newspapers.

This therefore calls on newspaper organizations to be on top of things before it can be rendered

outdated by the public who are increasingly going to online or social media. Chikova (2016)
explained that instead of newspaper organizations being annoyed by the emergence of new

media, they must devise ways of incorporating the new platforms. This can be through

developing the online versions of newspapers and also embracing social media links like twitter,

and Facebook where newspapers can be interacting with the public.

This scenario is true in many countries including Zambia where it has also been noted that online

is becoming the preferred medium of news displacing mainstream media including newspapers.

This is mainly because people find it easy to access news online than through the printed

newspapers. Murthy (2010) explained that access to newspapers in Zambia is limited by a

combination of factors among them lack of availability. Newspapers are rarely available in most

rural parts of Zambia mainly due to lack of transportation as a result of poor road network. This

is forcing people in rural areas to go to online publications and social media to read news which

is easily accessed through mobile phones.

Kamp (2016) said the spread of mobile internet through simple and cheap smartphones has

greatly increased the penetration of online media even in rural areas. The use of Facebook,

Twitter or WhatsApp has spread far beyond the urban centers. Kamp (2016) adds that this has

been necessitated by the fact that telecommunications service providers such as MTN and others

are now offering free access to Facebook through Facebook zero. The decline in newspaper

circulation has also affected people’s reading culture. People no longer read print newspapers,

book, and printed copies but prefer online versions. People are seen in public places, on buses

and everywhere scrolling the phone searching for latest news on online publications or
exchanging information and chatting on WhatsApp, twitter and Facebook. And of the type of

information that people follow online, it is said that the majority follow politics, and sports.

Curry (2016) explained that young people love political news from social media because it is

recommended to them by people on their social network.

As pointed out by Patel (2010), newspapers have now blended into the Internet, which is viewed as

one system consisting of interconnected systems. The phenomenon of online newspapers has greatly

augmented people’s accessibility to news, signifying the influence of the internet. The Internet World

Stats apparently clarifies that Nigeria, having 67.3 million users, is ranked the leading Internet

country in African. The second largest Internet country in the continent is Egypt, which has 43

million users. Okoro & Diri (2012) predictively argued that there is assumption that accessibility of

online newspaper contents tends to lower the readership of its print counterpart, as the online version

satisfies readers’ needs for information. A number of related studies were conducted in Nigeria,

mainly in the west, south, and north-eastern parts of the country. But little or no scholarly attention is

given to the effects of online newspaper reading on its print counterpart, particularly in the

Northwest, which is the focus of this study. In this regard, Daily Trust, the most widely read daily

newspaper in the study area, was chosen as the case study.

2.3.4. Readership of print newspapers

Traditional media, newspapers inclusive has been highly affected by the coming on online

publications and social media in Kenya and the world over. Chikova (2016) who conducted a

study on the world most populous nation, China states that: Circulation of newspapers and

television penetration is decreasing drastically in China, while readership and viewership on new
media technologies are growing exponentially. He pointed out that circulation of newspapers

among urban residents in China decreased from 53.5 percent in 2013 to 45.5 percent in 2014,

while television penetration declined from 82.2 percent to 78.8 percent. This is in contrast to web

video watching which rose from 18.7 percent in 2012 to 53.8 percent in 2014. He adds that in

2014, more than 30 newspapers in China ceased publication or simply went broke.

Salman et.al (2011) further explained that there is a steady decline in the circulation and

readership of newspapers’ print editions. This decline has also affected advertising which is the

life line of all newspaper organizations. This is spelling doom for the existence of print

newspapers.

The price of newspaper is generally high for the majority of people to afford. The African Media

Barometer report (2017) pointed that with the high cost of newspapers, it is very difficult for

people to appreciate the value of newspapers which is pegged at K10 per copy, when the loaf of

bread is selling at a much lower price at about K8. So when it comes to choosing, an ordinary

person will not sacrifice to use K10 to buy a newspaper when there is no food at home. As a

result many would rather go for cheap means of accessing information which is through online

publications where people can even access free internet at some public places like schools

(colleges) and shopping malls.

However, a new competitor in online publications (social media) has come on the scene and is

posing a serious threat to the existence of print newspapers. Online publications which are

accessed through internet on mobile phones, tablets, and computers are proving to be a serious
competitor to traditional newspapers because they are providing people with easy access to news

and information at the touch of a button. The coming of online publications which is as a result

of advancement in technology has changed the way people consume information. People rarely

buy newspapers as they now depend more on social media and online publications to get latest

updates of news. Watson (2016) said people are spending more and more time online and as of

2015 there were 3 billion internet users, 2 billion active social media users and more than more

than 1.6 billion mobile social accounts.

Despite the similarity in coverage and the leading role of traditional media outlets, the migration

to online ways of media delivery is real and the media landscape is changing in both its

demographics and psychodynamics. According to the Pew Research Center (2014) at a time

when print newsrooms continue to shed jobs, thousands of journalists are now working in the

growing world of native digital news. The Pew Research Center (2014) has identified the

following as the main characteristics of online news outlets: (1) the rate of hiring has been

explosive; (2) many of the native digital news organizations are small, non-profit and young; (3)

many of the smaller digital organizations focus on filling reporting gaps in local news and

investigative journalism; (4) among the larger digital outlets, a number are investing

substantially in global coverage; (5) digital news organizations are hiring a mix of legacy and

non-legacy journalists, with a clear emphasis on new storytelling skills; (6) for all the expansion,

it is far from clear there is a digital news business model to sustain these outlets. All in all, online

news brought competition for the printed newspaper and some newspapers opted for Less Than

Daily Print Editions (The Newspaper Association of America, 2013). Chung (2007) had
observed that journalists are undergoing an uncomfortable transition migrating online and are

unlikely to fully adopt interpersonal interactive features onto their websites. Saarelma & Oittinen

(2006) suggest the idea of a ubiquitous newspaper through the convergence of media.

Biggs (2006) argues that on-line publication isn't about old media versus new media; it's about

cheap media versus expensive media. Biggs write-ups look at newspaper from the cost

perspective to discuss both on-line and hard-copy. The relative savings of publishing on-line

rather than on paper are no longer as compelling a reason to abandon dead-tree media. So the

web's “paperlessness” doesn't necessarily insulate it from broader industry trends; paper costs

have and will continue to influence a paperless medium. “New media,” as a label, is more than a

decade old, but the prediction of its sweeping influence predates it. In his submission, Williams

(2003: 213) states, “since the early 1980s there has been an unparalleled growth of global media.

New media technologies… are compressing time and spacethe world is shrinking”. Marshall

McLuhan also lends his voice, arguably the most vocal and widely recognized, to this prediction,

proposing that the global village was a reconstruction of the communal world of the ancient

village torn asunder by the print media.

The reconstruction of media into electronic forms of communication has implications on the

reworking of space and time. The elimination of space and time has not been brought by the

advent of the Internet only but it is tied to technological advances in mass communication.

Notwithstanding, the news agencies still gather the news items from different sources in different

spatial zones and electronically send them to different print and electronic newspapers in
different parts of the world (Stevenson, 1995: 121). The speeding up and globalisation of news-

gathering practices mean that temporality and distance will become progressively unimportant in

governing newspaper content (McLuhan, 1994: 216).

 2.4 Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Monitoring and Evaluation
 Cost effective
 Convinient
T Easy access
 Timely Delivery of
news
 No Physical storage
sapce

Training
 Cost effective Readership of print newspaper
 Convinient
 Easy access  Production volume
 Timely Delivery of  Sales volume
news
 No Physical storage  Popularity
sapce

Stakeholder participation
 Cost effective
 Convinient
 Easy access
 Timely Delivery of
news
 No Physical storage

Figure 2.2: Conceptual framework

 CHAPTER THREE

REASERCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. Introduction

This chapter discusses the methodology that will be used to carry out the study. It gives the

specific procedures, tools and instruments that will be used in undertaking the study. These

include; research design, target population, sampling techniques, data collection methods and

instruments and data analysis tools and procedures.

3.2. Research Design

A research design is the overall plan for gathering data in a research study (Brink, Van der Walt

& Van Rensburg, 2021). According to (Mulusa, 2017) a research design is the arrangement of

conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the

research purpose. A research design is the structure, or the blueprint, of research that guides the

process of research from the formulation of the research questions and to report the research

findings.

This study employed descriptive research design. This particular design was ideal since the

research entails collecting and comparing data from the phenomenon at the same time of study.

This design was appropriate for the study because it aimed at describing the effect of digital

journalism on the readership of print copies of the newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation
Newspaper. Besides, this design gives this study the advantage of collecting original data for the

purpose of describing a population which is too large to observe directly hence good for the

purpose of generalization (Ikutwa, 2015). (Sekaran, 2013), also contends that a descriptive study

is undertaken in order to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of the variables of

interest in a situation. Descriptive study design was adopted for this study more so because, it is

used to quantitatively describe specific aspects of the population.

3.3. Population of the Study

The target population is the group of individuals that the intervention intends to conduct research

in and draw conclusions from (Louise Barnsbee, 2018). According to (Ikutwa, 2015) a target

population refers to participants or a group of subjects, with specific relevance and attributes of

interests to a study. The target population was all staff member of Nation Media group working

on Daily Nation. The total number of the office staff are 144

Table 3.1: Population of the study table

Office POPULATION

Editorial Office 35

Finance office 15

Audit, risk and compliance office 16

Legal and training office 33

Publications office 20

External affairs and marketing office 14

 Broadcasting office 11

TOTAL 144

Source: Nation Media Website (2022)

3.4. Sample and sampling techniques

3.4.1. Sampling frame

According to (Brink, Walt, & Rensburg, 2020), a sample is a proportion of the whole population

that is selected to represent the whole population. Saunders (2017) defines a sampling frame as a

whole list of all the cases in the population from which an illustration or a sample will be drawn.

The sampling frame consisted of 94 staff members of Nation Media group, Daily nation moiety.

3.4.2. Sampling Technique

Sampling technique is a systematic process in which a researcher obtains sample units and

sampling frame, establishing sample procedures as well as the sample size for the study (Kothari,

Dixon, Stebbins, Zavatsky, & Theologis, 2015). The sampling technique used in this study was

stratified random sampling. Stratified random sampling was used by partitioning the population

into subpopulation or sub-groups from where samples were obtained. The sample from each

subpopulation will be obtain via convenience method.

3.4.3. Sample Size determination

Sample size is a count of individual samples or observations in any statistical setting, such as a

scientific experiment or a public opinion survey (Creswell & Garrett, 2018). Though a relatively
straightforward concept, choice of sample size is a critical determination for a project. Too small

a sample yields unreliable results, while an overly large sample demands a good deal of time and

resources. More technical considerations suggest that the required sample size is a function of

the precision of the estimates one wishes to achieve, the variability or variance, one expects to

find in the population and the statistical level of confidence one wishes to use, (Ikutwa, 2015). A

sample of 94 respondents was arrived at using Taro Yamane method (1967) in this manner:

N
n= 2
1+ N (e)

Where; n is the Sample Size

N= Population size which is 144

e = is the margin error/level of precision assumed α at 0.06

n therefore is

144
2
1+ 144(0.06)

=94 staff members

Therefore, each department shall produce members in this number:

Table 3.2: Sample as per departments

Office POPULATION

Editorial Office 23

Finance office 10

Audit, risk and compliance office 11

Legal and training office 21

Publications office 13

External affairs and marketing office 9

Broadcasting office 7

TOTAL 94

Source: Nation Media website (2022)

3.5. Data Collection Tools

3.5.1. Instrumentation

The data collection instrument to be used in this study is the questionnaire method. This is an

instrument of research that presents a series of questions and other prompts to respondents for

the purpose of gathering required information. This study used self-administered questionnaires

to collect data. The questions in the questionnaires were closed ended, open ended, as well as

Likert scale questions. The questionnaires were ‘anonymous respondents’ method in order to
ensure that respondents give their feedback in an environment that is free and without fear as

compared to interviews (Remenyi, 2011).

The questionnaire method was preferred in this study as it ensures that information gathered is

consistent and relevant as the responses are standardized, objective and comparable (Sekaran,

Bougie, 2010). The method is also fast and cheap to administer hence saves on both time and

resources.

3.5.1. Data collection procedure

Data collection is the process of obtaining and evaluating information on interest of variables in

a systematic manner to enable the researcher get answers to the questions, test hypothesis and

analyze the results obtained (Bekal & Warrier, 2016). Before collecting data, the researcher got a

college letter granting permission to collect data from the organization for the purpose of the

study. Secondly, the researcher prepared an introductory letter requesting Nation Media Gruop to

grant her permission to collect the data. The researcher guaranteed confidentiality of the

respondents’ feedback. The researcher then distributed 94 questionnaires to the staff to obtain

their responses.

3.6. Validity and reliability

3.6.1. Validity of the Research Instruments

Validity is about the accuracy of the data obtained in the study in representing the variables of

the study (Saunders, 2015). (Creswell & Garrett, 2018), defined validity as how well an
instrument as measures what it is intended to measure. The study used open-ended and close-

ended questionnaires with Likert scale. Another important feature is the population for which the

measure is intended, once some of these decisions were made and a measure was developed.

This study established the validity of the research instrument with the help of the college

supervisors and the pilot testing. In this study, the following measures were put place to ensure

the items in the questionnaire produced valid data. Expert opinion: the comments of supervisors

was incorporated in the instruments as a way of improving their validity. A pilot study: a pretest

study was carried out, after which the results of the pilot data analysis were used to improve

validity of the instruments. Factor analysis: Validity test was also used on the research

instrument using a method of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to extract the factors. The

criteria, as suggested by (Chou, 2021), was that factor loadings greater than 0.40 were considered

statistically significant for studies with sample size less than 200. Consequently, in this study,

0.40 was used as the cut- off for loadings since the sample size of the study is 43. The higher the

factor loadings were, the greater they were relating to the variable.

3.6.2. Reliability of the Research Instruments

Reliability is a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results or

data after repeated trials (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2013). According to (Kothari, Dixon, Stebbins,

Zavatsky, & Theologis, 2015), reliability is the consistency of measurement. The Researcher

contends that the more reliable a data collection instrument is the more consistent the measure

would be. Reliability is the degree to which a test consistently measures whatever it measures
(Creswell & Garrett, 2018). This study will employ Cronbach‘s coefficient alpha method to

determine the internal consistency of the variables to be measured.

K∗r
α=
1+ ( K−1 )∗r

Where:

K is the number of variables,

r- bar is the average correlation among all pairs of variables.

The results found should give the Cronbach‘s alpha value for the overall questionnaire below the

agreed lower limit of 0.7.

3.7. Data Analysis and Presentation

According to Zirkmund (2018), data analysis refers to the systematic way of administering

statistical and logical tactics to describe, summarize and compare data. Data presentation refers

to the major characteristics of the data set expressed in a way that is understandable, implying to

the data and indicators dispersed (Zikmund, 2018). The study is to use both quantitative method

where describing is by analytical terms. Data analysis will be done following four phases

normally followed in social science research, these phases are: data clean up, data reduction, data

differentiation and explanation and coding.

Data clean-up will entail editing, coding and tabulation in order to detect anomalies and errors.

Qualitative data will be organized according to study themes and a framework of analysis
developed by use of descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency, variability and

measures of distribution. For quantitative data both correlational and inferential statistics

procedures will be followed. To determine the level of significance between independent

variables against the dependent variable; multiple regression and correlation will be used. A

multiple regression model will be then being developed to conform to this equation:

Y = β0+ β1X1 + β2X2 +β3X3 + +Ɛ

Where Y = Employee job satisfaction

β0 = Constant and is the level of Y when β1S are 0

β1= Coefficient of variable 1

β2 = Coefficient of variable 2

β3 = Coefficient of variable 3

= Coefficient of Variable 4

β1, β2, and β3 are the changes in Y due to the unit change in X1, X2 and X3 respectively where

X1 = Social media

X2 = News based used generated content type

X3= Digitalization of newspapers

Ɛ is the error term which include other factors outside the model which affect the implementation

of community development projects.

3.8. Ethical Consideration in the Research Study

Ethics are a set of guidelines that govern the behavior of the researcher before, during and after

the research. In this study the researcher designed the data collection tools in a manner that the

respondent did not fear giving out information required and that all data that was collected from

the Nation Media Group was treated with confidentiality and it was merely be used for research

purposes and nothing else. The research instrument which was chosen was be objective in nature

and did not implicate the institution nor individuals. All information was treated with

confidentiality and informed consent in every step. The data was collected with the guidance and

permission from NACOSTI, university, County Commission Office and County Ministry of

Education. This authorization was also be combed for problems that may arise as result of

legitimacy of the research.

 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1. Introduction

This chapter presents the results and findings of the study according to the research objective

which was to assess the effect of digital journalism on the readership of print copies of the

newspapers in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper. Frequencies mean and percentages

were used to analyze data descriptively, while inferential statistics using regression analysis was

conducted for the purpose of predicting the relationship between the independent and dependent

variables.

4.2. Response Rate

A total of 87 responded out of the 94 administered questionnaires making 93% of the total

number of the administered questionnaires. The high response rate maybe due to the availability

of a good respondent researcher relationship that made it easier for obtaining of the responses.

FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

RESPONSE 87 93%

NO RESPONSE 7 7%

94 100%
According to according to Babbie (2010), a response rate of above 70% is deemed to be very

good. This is also the same position taken by (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2013), who also asserts that

a response rate of 50% is adequate for analysis and reporting; a response rate of 60% is good and

that of 70% and above is very good. This response rate of 100% was sufficient to be used to give

a generalized report of the study population.

4.3. Socio-demographic characteristics

Demographic are the statistics that bring out the population’s description in terms of age, gender,

occupation, education, marital status, religion, residence and income (Mugenda & Mugenda,

2013)

DESCRIPTION FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

AGE

18-25 21 24%

26-33 26 30%

34-41 29 33%

42 and over 11 13%

GENDER

Male 52 60%

Female 35 40%

EDUCATION
 Doctor of Philosophy 4 5%

Master of Science 29 33%

Bachelor’s Degree 38 44%

Diploma 16 18%

MARITAL STATUS

Married 39 45%

Single 26 30%

Divorced 15 17%

Widowed 7 8%

RELIGION

Catholic 28 32%

Protestants 26 30%

Islam 17 20%

Others 16 18%

From the figure above, 60% of the respondents were male and female 40%. A modal age of 34-

41 with 33% was found among the staff members. Majority was Bachelor’s Degree with 44%

followed by Master of Science with 33%. A 45% were married, 26% Protestants, and 44% living

in the urban areas. This data show a consistent flow of relationship due to majority, of

respondents having high level education and having the capacity and ability to tackle the

objective of study.
4.3.1. Employment duration

Employment duration

117-10
AND ABOVE
YEARS6%
8%

4-6
YEARS
24%

1-3
YEARS
62%

The modest response was from the 1-3 year experience period at 62% followed by 4-6 year

period at 24% then lastly 6% from 11 and above years. This give a picture of the Nation Media

Group being run by staff who have an experience in the field to a greater extent. Few of them are

novices since an experience is shown from the response.

4.3.2. Office of assignment

Office
24%
25% 22%

20%

14%
15%
12%
11%
10%
10% 7%

5%

0%
ce ce ce ce ce ce ce
ffi offi offi offi ffi offi offi
lO ce e ng so ng ng
ria an ia
nc ni tio
n
eti sti
to n pl
i
ca
Ed
i F i tra ica a rk d
m nd bl m a
co Pu ro
d a la an
d B
an g rs
k Le ai
ris aff
i t,
d al
Au e rn
E xt

Majority of the respondents were from the editorial office 24%, followed by the legal and

training office 22% and the least was the broadcasting office 7%.
 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%

0%
0%
Cost effective

87%

13%
Convinient

9%
Easy access

91% 92%

8%

FACEBOOK
Timely Delivery of news

2%
No Physical storage sapce
98% 96%

4%
Cost effective

5%
Convinient

6%
Easy access
95% 94% 93%

7%

WHATSAPP
Timely Delivery of news
91%

9%
No Physical storage sapce
100%

Cost effective 0%
100%

0%
Convinient
9%

Easy access
91% 93%

TWITTER
7%

Timely Delivery of news

95%

5%

No Physical storage sapce

98%

4%
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
4.4. The social media accounts of digital journalism on the readership of print copies

Cost effective
93%

7%

Convinient
97%

3%
9%

Easy access
3%

INSTAGRAM

Timely Delivery of news

2%

No Physical storage sapce

98% 98%

2%

Cost effective
2%

Convinient
1%

Easy access
1%

SNAPCHAT

Timely Delivery of news

1%

No Physical storage sapce

98% 99% 99% 99% 98%

2%
Majority of the respondents form the figure above support that social media groups are cost

effective, convenient, easily accessed, timely Delivery of news, and no physical storage space

needed. The data trend shows a modal rise in the acceptance that the digital journalism through

social media platform out way more compared to the traditional print media.

4.5. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers

NEWS BASED USER GENERATED CONTENT

70%

60% 57%
51%
50%
50% 46% 46%
41%
40% 37% 37%
35% 35%
32% 32%
30%

20%
13% 12%
10% 10%
10% 9% 8%
5% 6%5% 6%5%
4% 3%
0%1% 1% 1% 1%
0%
Cost effective Convinient Easy access Timely Delivery No Physical Availability
of news storage sapce

STRONGLY AGREE AGREE NEUTRAL

DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

The figure shows that most respondents accepts that digital journalism through news based user

generated content has an effect on readership of print media with cost effective 57%,
convenience 41%, easy access 37%, timely delivery of news 32%, no Physical address 32% and

availability with 35%.

4.6. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies

DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS
80%
73%
70%
70%
61% 60%
60% 58%
52%
50%

40%
35% 34%
31%
30% 27% 25%
19%
20%
12%
10% 5% 5%
3% 4%3% 4% 3%1%2%
2%1% 0% 1%1%1% 2%1%
0%
Cost effective Convinient Easy access Timely Delivery No Physical Availability
of news storage sapce

STRONGLY AGREE AGREE SOMEHOW AGREE

DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

The figure shows that most respondents accepts that digital journalism through digital

newspapers has an effect on readership of print media with cost effective 61%, convenience

52%, easy access 58%, timely delivery of news 70%, no Physical address 73% and availability

with 60%.
4.7. The readership of print copies of the newspapers in Kenya

The researcher sought the readership of print newspapers and the results were as below:

Increase Decrease TOTAL

2015 Sales 2% 98% 100%

Profit 4% 96% 100%

Production volume 3% 97% 100%

Demand 4% 96% 100%

Popularity 5% 95% 100%

2018

Sales 3% 97% 100%

Profit 3% 97% 100%

Production volume 5% 95% 100%

Demand 6% 94% 100%

Popularity 3% 97% 100%

2021

Sales 3% 97% 100%

Profit 3% 97% 100%

Production volume 3% 97% 100%

Demand 4% 96% 100%

Popularity 2% 98% 100%

The majority of the respondents on the readership of the print newspapers in kenya show an

inclination to a decrease in the readership. This is also portrayed the production and sales return

by the Nation Media Group from the years 2015 to 2021 reports.

4.8. Multiple regression analysis

To find out if the study results were not due to chance and the strength of relationship of the

independent variable and the dependent variable

Regression Statistics

Multiple R 0.84

R Square 0.71

Adjusted R Square 0.69

Standard Error 0.13

Observations 87.00

ANOVA

Significance

df SS MS F F

165.6

Regression 4.00 5.35 1.34 5 0.00

Residual 85.00 2.18 0.02

Total 87.00 7.54

 Standard P- Upper

Coefficients Error t Stat value Lower 95% 95%

Intercept 1.36 0.20 1.92 0.00 0.97 1.75

Social Media

accounts 0.73 0.06 1.27 0.02 0.60 0.85

News based user

generated content 0.01 0.05 0.00 0.01 -0.11 0.11

Digital newspapers 0.02 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00

The table above shows the findings from multiple regression. An R 2 of 71% shows a strong

relationship of the independent variable with the dependent variable. Besides, the R 2 of 71%

shows highest surety of the findings not being brought by chance. Additionally, the social media

accounts had a P value of 0.00, news based user generated content with a P value of 0.02 and

digital newspapers with a P value of 0.00 showing that they are factors of digital journalism that

have an effect on the readership of print magazines. The three dependent variables show us with

a greater percentage that there is a decline in readership of print newspapers in Kenya due to the

advantages stated as measures of the independent variable. This is because they are within the

confidence interval but less than the alpha (α) of 0.05.

 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSIONS, SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1. Introduction

This chapter captures the summary, conclusions and recommendations from the findings in the

quest to assess the effect of digital journalism on the readership of print copies of the newspapers

in Kenya; a case of Daily Nation Newspaper.

5.2. Summary

The introduction of digital technology has changed the way different media sectors operated.
Most countries around the world are affected by the application of digital technologies at
different pace and with different scope. Hamalink (2016) believes that digitalisation means that
technologies for the processing and transmission of information having begun to the same
language. Tehranian (2019) supports Hamalink that print, photography, film, telephone and
telegraphy, broadcasting, satellites, and computer technologies, which developed fairly
independently, are rapidly merging into a digital stream of zeros and ones in the global
communication network. This is explained as the objectives as below:

5.2.1. The social media accounts of digital journalism on the readership of print copies

The study found out that social media accounts affect the readership of print newspapers with a P

value of 0.00 at an R2 of 71%. In the perspective of Cost effective 87%, Convenient 91%, Easy

access 92%, Timely Delivery of news 98%, and No Physical storage space 96%; an inclination

to that influence was vivid. People are going to social media to seek for news because there is

always latest news which people love either confirmed or gossips. And this news from online
publications can easily be accessed at the touch of a button unlike in print newspaper were

today’s news has to wait for the following day. Most of the news that is read in newspapers or

heard on radio or television is first released on social media before the mainstream media breaks

it. Kamp (2016) however stated that while it is true that online publications and other social

media sites have disrupted the way news breaks, it has also been argued that information that

“breaks” on social media sites is often still not considered “news” by the general public until

mainstream media confirms it through valid sources.

5.2.2. News based user generated content effect of digital journalism on the readership of

print copies of the newspapers

The study found out that news based user generated content with a P value of 0.0 at an R 2 of

71%. The general descriptive were cost effective 57%, convenience 41%, easy access 37%,

timely delivery of news 32%, no Physical address 32% and availability with 35%. According to

Obiero (2021) the phenomenon of citizen journalism and the wider trend of user generated

content are creating new challenges and opportunities for mainstream media. Traditional news

media, like newspapers, tend to show increasing interest in the ways in which user generated

content can be integrated into the professional news making process.

People who access online media have a variety of options to choose from either to watch videos,

read text, or see pictures and graphics which online media can easily put across. This is also

supported by The Media Insight project (2016). With the coming of online media, print media is

now playing a second fiddle with their role been reduced to follow up as breaking news is first
released by online media. This is summarized by Alejandro (2010) who states that: News

consumption today is not the same as in pre-satellite era where people waited for their morning

papers or sat down at an appointed time for the evening news on television. More recently, a

growing number of readers, viewers and listeners are going online for their news.

5.2.3. The digitalization of newspapers effect on the readership of print copies

The study found out that digital newspapers with a P value of 0.00 at an R 2 of 71%. Cost

effective 61%, convenience 52%, easy access 58%, timely delivery of news 70%, no Physical

address 73% and availability with 60%. This therefore calls on newspaper organizations to be on

top of things before it can be rendered outdated by the public who are increasingly going to

online or social media. Chikova (2016) explained that instead of newspaper organizations being

annoyed by the emergence of new media, they must devise ways of incorporating the new

platforms. This can be through developing the online versions of newspapers and also embracing

social media links like twitter, and Facebook where newspapers can be interacting with the

public.

This scenario is true in many countries including Zambia where it has also been noted that online

is becoming the preferred medium of news displacing mainstream media including newspapers.

This is mainly because people find it easy to access news online than through the printed

newspapers. Murthy (2010) explained that access to newspapers in Zambia is limited by a

combination of factors among them lack of availability. Newspapers are rarely available in most

rural parts of Zambia mainly due to lack of transportation as a result of poor road network. This

is forcing people in rural areas to go to online publications and social media to read news which

is easily accessed through mobile phones.

5.3. Conclusion

Print media industry experiences changes as a result of advancement in technology especially new

media. In this regard, Smith & Hendricks (2010) asserted that dynamic nature of the industry resulted

in constant revolutions and changes than at any other time in print media history globally. New

technologies become a major threat to print newspapers in the 21st century. This is certainly

evidenced in the work of Everett (2011), who examined how some technological discoveries are

rapidly replaced by the new media, which is more impressive and efficient in dissemination of

information. In the digital age, online news is timely disseminated, posing challenges to print news.

As a result, most newspapers integrated the Internet for more quicker and accessible news-delivering

techniques.

The printed newspaper readership is slowly but steadily decreasing. This is found out by the

study by the emergence of digital journalism which is efficient, accessible, cheap, little storage,

timely delivery and convenient. However, a new competitor in online publications (social media)

has come on the scene and is posing a serious threat to the existence of print newspapers. Online

publications which are accessed through internet on mobile phones, tablets, and computers are

proving to be a serious competitor to traditional newspapers because they are providing people

with easy access to news and information at the touch of a button. The coming of online
publications which is as a result of advancement in technology has changed the way people

consume information. People rarely buy newspapers as they now depend more on social media

and online publications to get latest updates of news.

5.4. Recommendation

1. The company should maximize on the e-version of their paper. But even as they do this

they should ensure that the sale of paper is only restricted to one or two user unlike the

current situation where a person who buys the e-paper can share with a group of people.

2. The papers should write object stories to counter react to the notion that it is a

government propaganda tool. Doing so will help attract that group of people who see the

paper as a mouthpiece and propaganda tool for government.

3. Newspaper companies should be writing exclusive and investigative stories as opposed to

the usual press briefing and statements from politicians which are also available on social

media.

4. Print media institutions should find a mean of attracting the younger readers who mostly

prefer online publications.

5. Newspaper companies should blend old media technique with new ones to get both

audiences.

6. Online website and social media should go in tandem with the print version.

7. Newspapers should always be updating their websites and social media links.

8. Newspaper organizations should consider translating some of its contents to local

language to capture those who cannot read in English.

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