Journalism students should innovate and think of startups that can make them employers as the conventional media industry shrinks in the face of digital technology, Alpha Media Holdings Online Editor John Mokwetsi has said.
By Takunda Mandura
Delivering a guest lecture on the impact of digital and social media on journalism to about hundred Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) media students, Mokwetsi said;
“We do not have jobs where we used to have jobs, as students you should be able to create your own employment and take the digital media seriously. Think of Mark Zuckerberg, and how he started Facebook. You never know the next Zuckerberg might be from this country.”
Mokwetsi said as the media industry continues to shrink amid a rise in the use of digital technology, students should self-train in order to be adept with the ever changing dynamics of digital media.
“The internet is now our new playground; create a website as students to post your stories. The internet has changed media operations, as live update events are uploaded and also video and audio.”
AMH Online reporter, Tapiwa Zivira, who also delivered a lecture on media law and ethics and digital storytelling, urged students to remain mindful of the basic ethics of journalism in the face of widespread hoaxes found on the internet.
“As a journalist, you need to separate yourself from the rest by making sure that before you put up any story, you would have followed basic procedures like seeking verification and corroboration, and making sure you stick to facts. In order to be the first with the news, which digital media is all about, you may have to resort tools like crowdsourcing and seeking evidence in video, audio, or images,” said Zivira.
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Also attending the lecture was Tafadzwa Tseitsi from Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ), Golden Maunganidze Founder and editor of Tell Zimbabwe and GZU lecturers.
