By Susan Mwape in Grahamstown
The on going Highway Africa Conference taking place in Grahamstown at Rhodes University is an anual event that attracts over 500 journalists from the continent and beyond. The conference will be taking place 9-12 September 2007.
With large number of Media and ICT experts from around the continent and beyond sharing information and skilss one can only begin to understand what a vast opportunity and capacity all the journalists at the conference get from all the networking and presentations and trainings. surely the organisers of the conference have a great vision of the continent, media fratenity and ICT sector.
One of the Major discussions at this years conference have bordered a lot of Blogging and Journalism, these seesions have been an eye opener for a large number of delegates at the conference.
During a presentation titled "Bloggers who are they talking to?" Sunday Times of South Africa Colomist Fredd Khumalo, expressed his appreciation for the print media to bloging in the sense that Newspapers can be taken anywhere because they are convieninent and have a shelf life.
According to Khumalo, the lack of quality control on blogs becomes an issue because bloggers have got no accountability. "Computers are still elitist and very few people have access to broadband internet services. Blogging really changes the definition of Journalism because there is a lot of rubbish too in blogosphere. Blogging does not pose a threat to Journalism but eventually the two will compliment each other", Said Khumalo.
A delegate then challenged Khumalo's statement of the lack of computers mobility but saying that with the Mobile Age one can read the news on their phones and carry to the loo or anywhere they may so wish.
Anothere delegate from Zimbabwe said that it was unfair to say that the blogging is unproffesions because in the case of Zimbabwe a number of people employ qualified Journalists who were fired to write stories for thier blogs and they are paid. To that effect Bloogs have become a reliable source of information.
On the other hand his fellow discussant Vincent Maher raised the importance of blogging raising questions like "if a journalist is blogs is it journalism or blogging"
Obviously Technology has come with a lot of economic implications as well and so its up to each and everyone to make a decision as to which path they are taking because technology is fast advancing on a daily basis and the world is becoming a global village.
The on going Highway Africa Conference taking place in Grahamstown at Rhodes University is an anual event that attracts over 500 journalists from the continent and beyond. The conference will be taking place 9-12 September 2007.
With large number of Media and ICT experts from around the continent and beyond sharing information and skilss one can only begin to understand what a vast opportunity and capacity all the journalists at the conference get from all the networking and presentations and trainings. surely the organisers of the conference have a great vision of the continent, media fratenity and ICT sector.
One of the Major discussions at this years conference have bordered a lot of Blogging and Journalism, these seesions have been an eye opener for a large number of delegates at the conference.
During a presentation titled "Bloggers who are they talking to?" Sunday Times of South Africa Colomist Fredd Khumalo, expressed his appreciation for the print media to bloging in the sense that Newspapers can be taken anywhere because they are convieninent and have a shelf life.
According to Khumalo, the lack of quality control on blogs becomes an issue because bloggers have got no accountability. "Computers are still elitist and very few people have access to broadband internet services. Blogging really changes the definition of Journalism because there is a lot of rubbish too in blogosphere. Blogging does not pose a threat to Journalism but eventually the two will compliment each other", Said Khumalo.
A delegate then challenged Khumalo's statement of the lack of computers mobility but saying that with the Mobile Age one can read the news on their phones and carry to the loo or anywhere they may so wish.
Anothere delegate from Zimbabwe said that it was unfair to say that the blogging is unproffesions because in the case of Zimbabwe a number of people employ qualified Journalists who were fired to write stories for thier blogs and they are paid. To that effect Bloogs have become a reliable source of information.
On the other hand his fellow discussant Vincent Maher raised the importance of blogging raising questions like "if a journalist is blogs is it journalism or blogging"
Obviously Technology has come with a lot of economic implications as well and so its up to each and everyone to make a decision as to which path they are taking because technology is fast advancing on a daily basis and the world is becoming a global village.
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