Online Reporter
ZIMPAPERS is a company which has the resources and potential to become a digital leader, including in long-form journalism, a leading journalist has said.
Stanley Kwenda, an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist, who has worked for, among other leading international news outlets, the BBC, has added his voice to the landmark developments at Zimpapers.Has said Zimpapers’ established journalism tradition put s it in good stead to succeed in this endeavour.
He said a digitalisation strategy at media organisations, like the one being undertaken by Zimpapers, requires more than ad hoc experiments but a bold cultural shift.
He said the developments at Zimpapers were a throwback to the time he was involved in a similar venture at his former employer. In a social media post, Kwenda said:
“It meant new ways of working, new skill sets, retraining and retooling. Gradually new digital roles were created.
“Those who signed up for training passed the test, got equipped with MacBooks, iPhones, microphones and cameras.
“We began routinely filming interviews on our phones, writing for the website, repurposing audio for radio, and editing packaged TV segments.
“Raw footage and transcripts were sent to a central content hub or internal news agency for reversioning across platforms. “Only then did digitalisation truly take hold but it was a multi-year process that only became second nature in 2022, after so many false starts.”
He added:
“What I learnt is that digital-first is a different form of journalism which requires specialist skills. It doesn’t mean taking radio or a TV bulletin and posting on Facebook.
“It is more than that.
He added:“Documentaries, podcasts and digitally-driven radio channels are opportunities few in Zimbabwe are fully exploiting.
“In the UK, LBC Radio has leveraged YouTube to extend its radio reach. Digital workflows let you integrate radio, TV, online and social media into a single production stream and Zimpapers is well placed to do that. “Elias Mambo (the Zimpapers Head of News) and his team have started well, but the real challenge is embedding a digital-first culture in an organisation built for print.
“That requires an army of digital natives or people who think mobile-first to work together in an integrated newsroom and build a digital product for a highly mobile market. “
He said digital journalism was often audience-centred and journalists accustomed to print, radio or TV will have to adjust.
“This challenge isn’t unique to Zimpapers, it affects Zimbabwe’s entire traditional news ecosystem.
“Traditional media must adapt or risk losing ground to influencers and native digital outlets.
“Nation Media Group in Kenya, a company of a similar stature to Zimpapers, offers a useful model.
“They restructured their news ecosystem, removed bureaucracy that hindered the practise of journalism, cut costs, retrenched roles misaligned with their digital vision, and simplified workflows to free time for storytelling.”
He added:
“Zimpapers must craft a digital vision that responds to young Zimbabweans or what digital natives call the ‘person of the now’ and the growing diaspora market.
“That vision won’t be credible without young people in decision-making roles, so the composition of the Super Desk needs a relook. This is not a critic of friends on the desk, it’s about infusing a new mindsets and voice.”
