Ethnography of digital transformation in the legacy newsrooms: an applied research on the upgraded newsroom of Al-Akhbar daily newspaper

Document Type : Original Article

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Assistant professor in Journalism Faculty of mass communication, Ahram Canadian University

Abstract

The study aims to identify the organizational, technical, and cultural factors affecting the digital transformation in the legacy newsrooms, applying to the upgraded newsroom of Al-Akhbar newspaper. It analyzes the strategic framework of that transformation, the adopted technical solutions and the cultural aspects related to the shared assumptions, expectations, and perceptions in order to figure out the sources of motivation or resistance for that transformation.
The study follows the ethnographic approach to depict the phases of moving the journalistic work crews from the old paper-based newsroom to the “upgraded” digital one. It identifies four stages of that transition, starting from preparation/anticipation to adjustment/acceptance, which were directed by the feelings of confusion, anxiety and concern which urged the journalists to exert pressures and manage negotiations, while the administration responded with flexibility, adaptation, and control. The study concludes that the organizational and technical factors were the most influential in the transformation process because of the top management support and the preservation of the job titles, workflows, and hierarchies without radical modifications.
 

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