Traditional versus online newspapers: The perspective of news audiences in Botswana

Abstract

Contemporary studies of journalism and new media indicate that news audiences prefer to read online newspapers because they are generally interactive, host multimedia content and report breaking news. However, the literature on the impact of digital media technologies on traditional print publication consumption patterns in Botswana and the African continent is hard to come by. Thus, this study, using multistage cluster sampling and focus group discussions, sets out to explore how audience members in Botswana engage with online news vis-a-vis traditional newspapers. It finds out that news audiences have a favorable attitude towards online newspapers but still prefer traditional newspapers, and that in Botswana specifically, access to online and traditional newspapers is influenced by factors such as cost and convenience. The study’s findings indicate clearly that while new media technologies continue to influence new trends and practices in journalism globally, audiences’ experience with these technologies differ from country to country.