Thesis Abstract

The abstract of the research content is as follows This study examines the role of internet compliance news in the gathering process of journalists. With the rapid growth of online media sources, journalists are increasingly relying on internet compliance news to stay informed about legal regulations, industry standards, and best practices. This research aims to assess how journalists use internet compliance news in their reporting and how it influences their decision-making process. The methodology involves conducting in-depth interviews with journalists from various news organizations to understand their perspectives on internet compliance news. The study will explore the types of internet compliance news sources that journalists use, the factors that influence their selection of sources, and the challenges they face in verifying the accuracy and reliability of the information. Preliminary findings suggest that journalists consider internet compliance news to be a valuable resource in their reporting process. They rely on a variety of sources, including government websites, industry publications, and legal databases, to gather information on regulations and standards relevant to their beat. However, journalists also express concerns about the credibility of online sources and the need to verify information before including it in their stories. The study also reveals that journalists face challenges in keeping up with the constantly evolving nature of internet compliance news. The rapid pace of regulatory changes and the abundance of online information make it difficult for journalists to discern accurate and reliable sources from misinformation. As a result, journalists must invest time and effort in verifying the credibility of internet compliance news to ensure the accuracy and integrity of their reporting. Overall, this research contributes to our understanding of how journalists navigate the complex landscape of internet compliance news in the digital age. By shedding light on the role of internet compliance news in the gathering process of journalists, this study offers insights into the challenges and opportunities that journalists encounter in their quest for accurate and reliable information. The findings have implications for journalism practice, education, and policy, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and information literacy skills in the digital era.

Thesis Overview

This study assessed internet compliance by journalists in news gathering inSoutheast Nigeria.The technological determinism, the uses and gratification and the diffusion of innovation theories supported the work as theoretical frameworks. The study adopted two research designs-survey and interview. The population of the study comprised 665 registered Journalists in south-east Nigeria as estimated by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) south-east chapter. A total sample size of 241 was drawn using the National Australian Calculator online version 20 (235 survey design and 6 interview design).A total of four research questions were raised and a structured questionnaire and an unstructured interview schedule were used to gather data.The reliability of the questionnaire instrument which showed a reliability coefficient of 0.9 was ascertained using the Pearson?s correlation coefficient. Data was analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. Tables, pie-charts and bar-charts were used to present the data. Findings showed that: (1)the extent of differences in journalists? internet knowledge that is related to journalists? work related internet compliance is significant,(2)the extent to which work-related factors such as type of media and journalistic activities are related to differences in internet compliance among journalists in south east Nigeria,(3)Journalists in the south east perceived the internet as useful to their journalistic tasks and this perceived utility influenced their compliance, and finally,(4) there was high internet availability and access among journalists in the southeast and that availability and access influenced journalists? internet work related compliance.It was recommended thatjournalism departments in Nigeria would have to rethink the way journalism is being taught, since the internet knowledge and compliance would be a major requirement for practicing after class room training.