Last week, Rwanda celebrated the African Information Day. The celebrations culminated into the annual Development Journalism Awards where the best journalists are recognised.
However, it was the discussions on what the local media ought to do in order to stay afloat in the ever-changing media landscape that attracted more interest from stakeholders.
One of the key highlights was the appeal by experts to local news organisations to synergise to make a better impact.
While collaboration is not a new phenomenon in the news media, globally, the discussions in the local context are quite timely, given that they come in the wake of declining revenues and shrinking newsroom staffs (as part of cost-cutting strategies).
In addition, disruptions in the news media brought about by various digital platforms as well as changes in audience needs are taking their toll on local news media organisations.
Few local media houses, if any, have managed to successfully cope with these changes.
Proponents of collaboration have argued that it would allow sharing of newsroom resources, which are increasingly under pressure.
Of course, collaboration has its own challenges; news media organisation don’t necessarily have a shared editorial mission. This makes it hard for journalists to embrace common strategies for reporting, writing and sharing content.
In addition, while this approach can help offset some costs, its commercial viability as a revenue stream is uncertain.
In the wake of declining adverting revenues, news media organisations are struggling to adapt their business models to the digital age.
And with limited capacity for local journalists to fact-check the authenticity of the information they get, readers are increasingly vulnerable to false narratives and sensationalist content.
So, while collaborative journalism might not necessarily drive revenues, it has the potential to encourage the much-needed innovation in local newsrooms and offer effective means to address some of these challenges.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com