Chinese Digital Platform: “We Write What the Algorithm Wants”

Abstract

This study examines Nigerian journalists’ perception of the affordances of recommendation algorithms in news production and distribution on Opera News Hub. The study uses a triangulation of methods involving content analysis, a semi-structured interview, and a focus group discussion (FGD) with content creators, who have been trained in traditional media practices in Lagos, Nigeria. The findings indicate news stories published on the Hub contravene the platform’s publishing guidelines. The Hub’s recommender system is underpinned by “metricisation” of gatekeeping, which affords soft news over hard news. Hence, content creators of hard news compromise their journalistic autonomy and take on a new professional identity in which they engage in a constant struggle to produce sensational content that will attract audience engagement on Opera News Hub. However, there are indications that Opera News Hub may enhance media sustainability and the welfare of journalists in Nigeria.