01 Apr 2024

The department of Information Services is promoting the use of the DailyNews digital platforms as a cost-effective alternative to the traditional hard copy format.

Addressing Mogoditshane/Thamaga councillors during a full council session on Tuesday, the department’s head of marketing, Ms Kelebogile Jaba explained that by moving to a digital format, the DailyNews could reach a much larger audience without the cost and environmental impact of printing and distributing hard copies.

“With the widespread availability of Internet connectivity in the country, even people in the rural areas can access the paper’s content through the smartbots initiative,’’ she said.

She further stated that the department used to print 80 000 of the paper and distributed it to 544 villages across the country.

However, she said it was expensive as it required a budget of over P45 million but with the online version, the paper could reach a larger audience through smart phones.

She, however, noted that although the number of printed copies had been reduced significantly, the department was now printing only 20 000 copies at a budget of P17 million with the hope that many consumers would opt for the online version on a PDF format which they can simply download from the department’s website.

Ms Jaba further outlined advantages to reading newspapers online rather than in hard copy form. Firstly she said it was more convenient to access news online as it can be assessed from anywhere through an Internet connection, whereas hard copies were only available where they were physically distributed.

In addition, she said digital versions of newspapers often offered multimedia content such as videos and interactive features that would not be possible in print.

However, the new development was received with mixed reactions as the majority of councillors applauded the department’s transition to digital platforms while others felt that the paper was only serving the government of the day’s interest.

Cllr Molatedi Selala of Thamaga West acknowledged the benefits of the DailyNews transitioning to digital platforms, but he raised a concern about the paper’s perceived bias in favour of the government and the ruling party.

He expressed a desire for balanced coverage in order to make the paper more inclusive and representative of all perspectives.

Cllr for Mogoditshane North, Ms Francinah Jawe commended the department for embracing modern technology and disseminating government programmes and policies in a way that was attractive and easy to read.

She noted that the DailyNews format was visually appealing and catered to a wide audience, including young people. Ends