INVESTIGATING THE IMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19 ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PRINT MEDIA IN NAMIBIA: A CASE STUDY OF THE NAMIBIAN, CONFIDENTE AND NEW ERA
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Date
2021-11
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NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Abstract
Using case studies of The Namibian, New Era and Confidente newspapers, this study set out
to investigate the implications of Covid-19 on the sustainability of Namibian newspapers,
measures being employed by these newspapers to respond to these influences, and
whether these measures are helping the three newspapers sustain their operations. To do
this, the study draws on the theory of structuration and the concept of media sustainability.
Informed by the interpretivist paradigm, this study applied a qualitative methodology and
purposefully sampled 21 participants which included an editor, marketing manager and
distribution manager, as well four journalists from each of the three newspapers. In-depth
interviews were conducted with the participants by the researcher. The study found that
Covid-19 has adversely impacted the operations of the newspapers studied, with declining
advertising, copy sales, job losses and reconfiguration of news work in both production and
distribution. This has prompted the newspapers to respond by adopting a myriad of
measures which include retrenchments, salary cuts, reduced employee benefits, salary
payment date changes, and reducing both print runs and the number of pages. They have
also resorted to expanding their operational scope by bidding for printing jobs, as well as to
write Annual Reports for corporates. Apart from attempting to deepen stories to escape
online competition, newspapers are also now using digital platforms to generate interest for
their print editions by sharing snippets of articles on social media prior to publication of
fuller articles in the print edition. Further, the study also observed that the newspapers have
resorted to giving clients advertising discounts in order to keep them engaged with their
print editions. All the three newspapers have developed packages that include digital
platforms to further lure clients amid Covid-19. Lastly, the study revealed that journalists
are responding to slimmer staff complements, induced by Covid-19, through up-skilling.
While the acknowledgement that newspapers will cease to exist at one point is unanimous,
the study notes that this can be either delayed or derailed by Namibian newspapers in
changing the way stories are told, deepening coverage of community stories and seeking
cost-cutting interventions from the government, among others. In summation, the study
concludes that despite the pressures presented by Covid-19 in Namibia, the printed
newspaper remains resilient, owing to specific market dynamics unique to Namibia.
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Keywords
Sustainability, Covid-19, implications, newspapers, response, resilience
Citation
Mare, H. (2021). Investigating the implications of covid-19 on the sustainability of the print media in Namibia: A case study of the namibian, confidente and new era [Master’s thesis, Namibia University of Science and Technology].