APPRAISAL OF THE UTILISATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY BY JOURNALISTS IN PORT HARCOURT

This study was conceived to appraise the utilisation of digital technology by journalists in Port Harcourt following the plethora of technological innovations in the media industry and its attendant effect on the operations of journalists especially artificial intelligence. The objectives of the study were to find out how much of digital technology journalists have integrated into their day-to-day practice, evaluate their level of proficiency in the use of digital technology and ascertain the challenges Port Harcourt journalists encounter in their day-to-day use of digital technology. The survey design was adopted to reach the respondents selected from the pool of registered journalists in Rivers State. The study found that journalists in Port Harcourt incorporate much of digital technology like phones, computers, copiers etc. into their day-to-day practice. It was also found that the journalists were fairly proficient in their use of digital technology as it made their job easier. The challenge facing them was noted to be the cost of undergoing trainings for digital upgrade. The researchers therefore recommended that the government should improve information technology infrastructure to enable the media spend less on private acquisition, the government should give tax wavers to certain media technology import to make them more affordable for media practitioners, media practitioners should invest in regular training of their staff to keep them up to date with relevant skills.