'Nigerian newspapers are dead. No they are dying ’

By Lekan Otufodunrin 

Are Nigerian newspapers and magazines dead? The obvious answer should be NO.

With only The News Magazine and PM Evening newspaper ceasing print publication and migrating fully online, the question should probably not have generated much debate, but it did at the #MediaCareerClinc held on August 15 in Lagos.

A participant at the clinic declared emphatically that though newspapers and magazines are still  circulated daily and new publications are hitting the newsstands, newspapers and magzines in Nigeria, as we used to know them are dead.

Expectedly, his assertion did not go unchallenged by some other participants who felt the declaration was rather hasty.

“No, our newspapers are not dead and will not die despite the various doomsday prophesy based on the impact of the Internet and new media on the industry.

“When the television was invented, it was said that newspapers will die. That projection has not come to pass and newspapers have been with us forever,” another participant countered.

The participant who stirred the controversy was not persuaded by the counter arguments.

“I insist that our newspapers and magazines are dead for a number of reasons. Can our newspapers be said to be alive when they no longer break news and  they don’t add enough value to the reports they publish sometimes more than 16 hours when the reports have been on social media.

“Can they be said to be alive when most of them don’t provide enough perspectives on stories published and don’t sufficiently engage readers?”

These assertions may not be completely true but some other participants agreed that the performance of most newspapers in the country leaves much to be desired in the face of the fierce competition from online publications.

“Even if they are not dead, the signs are there that they are hemorrhaging  and it may be a matter of time before many disappear from the newsstands. The combined daily circulation figures for all the newspapers is shamefully low and does not justify the continous existence of some of them,” the moderator of the discussion noted.

He also noted that journalists working in a number of newspapers and magazines in the country are unable to put up their best performance due to poor or irregular pay.

“What kind of content do you expect a journalist who has not been paid for six months and more to produce? “

While another participant agreed that our newspapers may not die soon, he said “someday, they will eventually die leaving many traditional journalists who have refused to learn new skills jobless”

His advice is that it is better for journalists to prepare for the eventual death by learning new skills required to compliment traditional journalism experience to remain employable, not matter what happens.

“If you are not ready and the unexpected happens, who will employ you. It can take time to learn the new skills, but the earlier the better,” he counseled.

Back to the recurring question, will the Internet kill newspapers and magazines in Nigeria? The Managing Director of Daily Independent Newspaper said it won’t in a recent lecture titled Tomorrow’s newspapers, today’s newsroom.

He however warned that if his optimism proves false, the coroner’s report on the death of Nigerian newspapers will not be murder but suicide.

Murder not by the Internet, but suicide by newspapers and journalists who refuse to adjust to new media demands.

“We don’t have to agree with the assertions that our newspapers are dead, but the issues raised about their inadequacies should be food for thought for media owners and journalists to take concrete actions on.

“It should serve as a wake-up call as we dangerously slip into the valley of irrelevance by not coming to terms with the reality of the new information age,” the moderator rounded up the controversial discussion of the faith of our good old newspapers.

What do you think? Share your views with me here or send a mail to lekanagency@yahoo.com, Tweet at me @lotufodunrin Text 08023000621 

5 more media career lessons journalists should not ignore

By Lekan Otufodunrin

This is the concluding second part of the report of the media career development clinic hosted by Journalists for Christ, a faith based media organization on August 15,in Lagos.

The first part was titled 10 media career lessons from #mediacareerclinic (1)

The programme was attended by media professionals, student journalists along with participants online. Your feedback and perspective on the discussion at the clinic is welcomed.

6. Allow yourself to be used, but learn as much as you can.

When he introduced himself as working for about four organizations, a participant was told he must be earning some good money. His response was “not really”.

Not really how? The moderator asked. “I am not really paid for all the work. Many of the assignments I do for free.

"Some of the people I work for think they are using me, but I am learning a lot which will be useful for me in future,” he explained.

The lesson of the explanation is that even when you are not adequately compensated for whatever work you are doing for an organization or individual, don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn and enhance your media skill.

7. Work hard at what you are doing online today to become a reference point in future.

The journey of a thousand miles, they say starts with a step.

However  small whatever online publishing you are doing today, keep at it like the celebrated online publishers of today did when they started.

Online publishing is no less work than traditional print or broadcast. The competition online  is fierce and it is a matter of the survival of the fittest.

“I work almost twenty four hours. You have to be on the lookout for breaking news; you have to get trending stories, read, rewrite them, get pictures, write captions, attend various programmes and much more,” a participant stated.

You have to be consistent, innovative and keep building your brand. Sooner or later you will be glad you kept at instead of getting discouraged by the little or no attention you are getting for what you are doing today.

8. It doesn’t matter where you publish, print or online, good journalism is good journalism.

Those who complain about the quality of journalism practice online have a point.

Standards and adherence to the ethics of the profession should not be lowered when publishing online.

While non-professional journalists may not bother about their image, professional journalists should know that their reputation is at stake if your byline is associated with substandard reports.

Good journalism requires paying attention to details, being objective, fair to all parties and a lot more.

Organizers of media awards now accept online only publication for consideration but it must meet the requirements of good journalism.

9.Be ready to take on new assignments

 When you are reassigned from your preferred beat, you can choose to make the best of your new assignment. When a participant at the clinic was reassigned from his top editorial desk to a relatively new and  unknown one, he chose not to walk away like many usually do.

He accepted his new posting as a challenge to provide editorial leadership for the digital operations of his company instead of indulging in self pity.

Less than four years after, the online department has become a force to reckon with, not only in the company, but in the industry.

Beyond the company, his leadership of the online department has opened lots of professional rewarding opportunities for him. Just when it appeared that his stay in top editorial level of his company was about to end, willingness to give his best shot for the new assignment has earned him new relevance and leadership position for digital transition.

10. Be an expert in the field you cover.

How many journalists really understand the issues they cover?

How many journalists get invited as experts to speak on issues they cover?

The above questions were among some of the issues raised and addressed at the Media Career clinic.

“That has been my concern over time” wrote Bankole Oritisan in his response to the question on facebook.

Other comments on the questions include:

Authority matters – Taiwo Obe

Knowledge is power – Muyiwa Akintunde

Authority! Knowledge! Yes. I think most of our reporters write a report of what he/she witnessed – rather than going detailed – Olatunde Dolly Adenuga

After covering a beat for some years, journalists should become expert on the issues in the sectors.

He or she should become an authority that can be quoted or invited to speak at seminars.

This will be possible when you constantly seek additional knowledge beyond what is contained in the press statements and briefings by the Chief Executives and Media officers

10 media career lessons from #mediacareerclinic (1)

Journalists for Christ, a faith based media organization on August 15, held a media career development clinic in Lagos. The programme was attended by media professionals, student journalists along with participants online.

Here are five of the ten career lessons from discussion at the clinic.

1. Company policies can be waived for your sake if you are exceptionally good

A Lagos newspaper recently wanted to recruit an online reporter who must have a second class upper degree along with requisite work experience.

It didn’t succeed in finding a suitable candidate with the required academic qualification but got one that fitted the job description.

The available candidate that was hired based on his new media experience track record had a Higher National Diploma (HND).

Be very good on your job, employers will find it difficult to resist you even if you don’t meet some of their requirements.

2. Admit what you don’t know

When asked to contribute to discussion at the programme, an experienced journalist with a national newspaper owned up to not knowing how to blog, use twitter and some other new media tools.

“I want to know how to use these new tools to extend the reach of my reports,” she said.

A student journalist vast in the use of new media was assigned to work with her in the next one month to teach her all she needs to know to become a new media compliant.

In the present new media world journalism is being practiced, what you don’t know can harm your career growth.

3. Break the technological barrier

Information Technology (IT) staff of media houses have a way of mystifying their work. They make it look as if website operation is a big deal and sometimes hold ‘technically’ unlearned journalists to ransom on getting their stories online.

What a former staff of a newspaper staff did to break the technological barrier was to sit down with the IT staff and watch them at work. He asked as many questions as possible and learnt how to upload stories and other website operations.

Today he runs his own website and doesn’t have to rely on any IT staff for basic and even some advance website operation.

In addition to knowing how to write a story, being tech savvy is a plus for media career development.

4. You don’t have to be another Linda Ikeji or general interest blogger.

Instead of imitating some established bloggers or website publishers, new comers into the blogosphere should carve a niche for themselves.

Instead of general interest publishing which requires a lot of efforts, niche blogging and reporting have a lot of potentials. You can focus on an area of coverage like Business, Sports, Entertainment, and Education and become the go-to blog or website for news and views on your area of focus by both readers and advertisers.

“Where are the fashion, politics, sports, business bloggers in Nigeria like we know in some advanced nations,” a participant at the clinic asked.

Hyper local reporting can also draw attention to publications whether in print or online. No national publication can write well about your local community.

5. Write about what, where you are or what you know

-A youth corps member serving in Ise Ekiti wanted to know how to become a print media professional.

Though he is a graduate of Communication and Language Art, he has not written any published work in print and has not been writing on his blog since March, this year.

The advice he got was “start writing about Ise Ekiti where you are on national service.”

“Write about the people, places and events in the town and become an authority on Ise Ekiti. Use the reports to perfect your writing until you complete your service.

“If you can’t write as regularly as you should, make it a duty to write at least once a week.

“It is better to write based on places and issues you have comparative advantage.”  

The five other career lessons will be published in the next edition. Let me know what you think of the ideas above and share yours with me