'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 

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