By Anote Ajeluorou
UNLIKE the western world where newspapers or other media
organs freely support or endorse particular candidates in an election, in
Nigeria it’s still difficult. This is because of the complex diversity that defines
the country, and serves as a constraint on the media.
However, what obtains
in the media in the country is bias for or against certain candidates, even as
partisanship is frowned at. These were some of the views editor of The Guardian, Mr. Martins Oloja
expressed when he delivered a talk yesterday to students of Nigerian Institute
of Journalism (NIJ), Oga, Lagos.
According to Oloja,
“We just had the worst election reports in our history. It was all about
complaints, as there were no issues in the campaigns. Some of the newspapers or
radio and TV stations are owned by politicians. Soon enough you will not find
them anymore. No newspapers could endorse any candidate. What we had was bias.
Our diversity is a problem. In the U.S. and the U.K., newspapers openly endorse
candidates they feel lean towards certain ideals that they also promote. But
that is not the case here”.
Apart from charging
the students to read Nigeria’s constitution, Oloja also tasked them to read
books about Nigeria and travel widely so they could be better equipped to
understand her complex diversity that often poses a challenge to some
journalists.
“Nigeria is much
more than the three tribes of Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo, or the new
addition, Ijaw, which are the oppressors,” Oloja said. “Reporters need to know
these things because we’re covering a complex diversity. In order that our reporting
does not cause problems, we need to understand this complex diversity. You need
to have knowledge of the people you cover. So, when you get to a place, you
need to study the culture on ground. NIJ needs to incorporate culture in its
curriculum. Our culture is very complex. Journalists need to be deep to discern
the tangible things. Journalists need to travel round the country to know it”.
Former editor of the Premier newspaper in Abuja stressed the
need for the trainee journalists to pay particular attention to the use of
English language. He quoted a popular English language writer, SMO Aka, who
said of English, “If English isn’t a passport to heaven, it’s a passport to
heavenly places” such as journalism, employment etc.
According to Oloja,
“In journalism you should take your grammar lessons very seriously. It’s the
global language of business. If you’re a broadcaster or copywriter, what will
put people off is poor grammar, which is what pains me so much even at The Guardian because I can’t see
everything. So, use English as used by the native speakers. The power that you
wield is in the power to control the use of English language”.
He also stressed the
power of reading widely as a helpful tool to a journalist’s work, adding that a
leader in journalism is necessarily a reader of good books. The Guardian editor also encouraged the
students to move to the new media, as was now the trend, saying, “We’re moving
from traditional media to digital journalism and we must be comprehensive. This
is where citizen journalism is. For us to be part of the new world we must
reform; we must do the right thing. We must embrace digital journalism to be
able to work online. This is the new world”.
Oloja also enjoined
the students to embrace research and data analysis as bedrock of the sort of
journalism that could make impact. He said, “Any report that is based on
research and measurable data is likely to have more impact. You need to use
data or analysis to do measurable stories and nobody ever forgets their impact.
But if you do not read, you cannot report or write well, and there must be
impact.
“It’s a serious
matter in journalism. People don’t like to read. People are too lazy to read.
For us to excel as journalists, we must read. But what do you read? Certainly,
it should not The Richest Man in Babylon
or motivational books. You need to read deep”.
Earlier, Provost, Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye said
the institute had embraced the spirit of change sweeping through the country
and that bringing an expert to speak to the students was designed to bridge the
gap between the classroom and the newsroom.
Other principal
officers of the institution in attendance were Deputy Provost, Mr. Jide
Johnson, Senior Librarian, Mobuogwu Lilian, Senior Assistant Registrar
(Students Affairs), Mrs. Patricia Kalesanwo, Instructor, PR/Advertising and Mr.
Jack Amaso.
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