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Paying the Piper: The sustainability of the news industry and journalism in South Africa in a time of digital transformation and political uncertainty
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Paying the Piper: The sustainability of the news industry and journalism in South Africa in a time of digital transformation and political uncertainty

Harry Dugmore
Rhodes University, School of Journalism and Media Studies
2018
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https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/jms/documents/documents2020/PAYING-THE-PIPER-The-sustainability-of-the-news-industry-and-journalism-in-South-Africa-in-a-time-of-digital-transformation-and-political-uncertainty.pdfView
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Abstract

This report explores the recent trajectory of South African news with a specific focus on the economic sustainability of news media. Digital news consumption on mobile phone, and especially via Social Media on Smart Phones (SMSP) is fracturing audiences and reducing traditional sources of revenue. Printed newspapers in particular are starting to close and will be closing, this report suggests, at an accelerated rate, and while the past two or three years have seen a revival in important national-level political reporting, local and community media is increasingly losing the struggle to survive. Dozens of community papers have closed in 2015-2017, some after many decades of publishing. The Times in Johannesburg closed in January 2018. Many others will follow.

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