Abstract

Informed by the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) debate on the need for a two-way information flow in international relations, this paper posits that an efficient African online newspaper could provide an alternate slant to African news in a global arena.  A content analysis of the homepages of four African newspaper websites (Al Ahram, Independent Online, Vanguard, andthe Daily Nation) was conducted to determine to what extent they incorporate the following attributes necessary for an efficient webpage: (a) Speed (b) Structure (c) Content, (d) Navigation, and (e) Customer focus.  Also, these websites were reviewed to determine how they integrate social media networks, specifically, Twitter and Facebook.  Results show that all four websites met the above five criteria to a reasonable degree and they all employ Twitter and Facebook as means of encouraging audience participation.  Regarding content, Al-Ahram has the highest number of news stories at 53, of which 58% were local, 15% were African, and 27% were Non-African. The Daily Nation had a more balanced news distribution, with a total of 40 news stories of which 45% were local, 30% were African, and 25% were Non-African.  Independent Online had a total of 43 news stories on its homepage; broken down as 58.2% local, 2.3% African, and 39.5% Non-African.  Finally, Vanguard had no international/Non-African news on its homepage.  With a total of 22 news stories, 91% were local, covering Nigeria, and 9% were African. Ways that the websites incorporate social media networks are discussed in detail

Key Words:  African Newspaper Websites, Facebook, International News

                       Flow, NWICO, Twitter, Social Media

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 2013, 57 – 68. 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the author

*Dr. Bellarmine A. Ezumah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, U.S.A.

Full Article

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