Guardian

EDITOR  of The Guardian Newspaper, Mr. Martins Oloja has charged young writers to be spontaneous in their drive towards professionalism, especially in a situation where the irreversible forces of globalization have significantly changed the face of journalism.

Although, he  acknowledged that the journalism profession was facing some huge challenges even in the global context, he however insisted that the practitioners must begin to envisage the future from current trends and imbue ways to evolve with the new age.

Oloja gave this counsel at the 10th Nation Campus Life Student-Writers’ workshop, a bi-annual event sponsored by the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), makers of Coca-Cola  since 2008.

The initiative serves as a capacity building and mentoring programme for the large network of undergraduates, popularly called “Campus Journalists”, who contribute articles to the weekly Campus Life pullout in The Nation newspaper.

The workshop, held at Lekki, Lagos with over 50 students in attendance from 40 tertiary institutions across Nigeria, also had in attendance: the Online Editor of The Nation Newspaper, Lekan Otufodurin; Co-ordinator, CampusLife, Agbo Agbo, and Cocacola’ Public Affairs and Communications Officer, Mr. Emeka Mba. The theme was: “The role of mass media in fostering national rebirth”.

Oloja, who expressed concern over the dearth of quality graduates, essential for  the survival of ethics and objectives of the profession, also acknowledged the efforts being made by some of the participants, in an environment “that leaves little room for encouragement and self development.”

But he asserted that  certain societal stereotypes and attitudes of the practitioners must change for progress to be achieved.

He said: “The relevance of the message here is that we are discussing in the context of our very old tertiary education curricula being used to train and teach undergraduates we expect to fit into the 21st century industry and market, which forces of globalization shape daily. We are aware that many in journalism and mass communication schools are being trained by trainers that have never practiced journalism anywhere. That is a huge challenge to all in our media environment where there is a mysterious disconnect between the media industry and the training institutions. We practitioners should be part of the teaching and training on writing and working for the mass media”.

Oloja further  stated that using the media to achieve national rebirth would typify the setting up of a centre for public integrity, where investigative journalism on significant public issues would make institutional power more transparent and accountable.

He assured that this kind of journalism had the potential to: “Generate high-quality accessible investigative reports, databases and contextual analysis on issues of public importance; while it educates, engages and empowers citizens with the accountability that is at the core of a healthy democracy”.

Citing several authors and articles that explicate the role of the media, which would shape any society, Oloja encouraged the students to improve themselves intellectually; show appreciation for the English language with a commitment to its proper usage, broaden their scope in news gathering and reporting, and consistently read to remain relevant.

He noted that journalists should embrace “Strategic thinking about what the readers, listeners and viewers want. It had become paramount to strengthen investigative skills with the power of the Freedom of Information Act. The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate, reliable information they need to function in a free society.

“Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth as our Code of Ethics provides. Its first loyalty is to citizens as a discipline of verification. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise, while it strives to make the significant events interesting, keep the news comprehensive and proportional.

“Its practitioner must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience, maintain an independence from those they cover, as they serve as an independent monitor of power (and business enterprises). Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for us to navigate the society, which includes news of all communities”.

Mr. Agbo Agbo, Co-ordinator, CampusLife, also encouraged the student to strive hard in a very competitive - and often time - dangerous environment. He advised that they need to be marketable and know a little about everything; their spontaneity and intellectual diversity would be advantageous in practicing journalism with the aim of creating a better society.

The Public Affairs and Communications Officer of Coca-Cola Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Mba, who was also present at the workshop, said that Coca-Cola saw the need to continually reach out to the community by sponsoring such an event, and bringing veterans in the field of journalism and high-profiled resources persons to interact with the budding writers. He also noted a list of similar project the Coca-Cola brand was involved in to help improve the environment and help members of the public to appreciate the qualities of life.

Some of the students who spoke to The Guardian expressed their excitement as privileged few to be part of the workshop. Many of them who came with high expectations acknowledged that they would be returning to their schools with an exuberance to become better writers and make better decisions at their choice careers to better the society, despite its many challenges.