New Telegraph

Osoba, Idachaba, others move to restore dignity of media practice in Nigeria

In the face of dwindling quality of journalism and increase in fake news, journalists and Mass Communication scholars have underscored the need to restore and protect journalism as a noble profession, maintain global standards in journalism scholarship and restore the dignity of media practice in Nigeria.

 

The development was informed by the huge damage done to the profession by the influx of bloggers, so-called citizen journalists and unprofessional practitioners who abuse the multidisciplinary nature of the profession by spewing misinformation and outright falsehood especially on online platforms.

 

The scholars and practitioners, including former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Professors Lai Osho, Ralph Akinfeleye, Armstrong Idachaba and the General Manager of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Gbemiga Adefaye, recalled the evolutionary roles played by journalists across all ages around the world, but lamented a gradual erosion of such nobility in the profession.

 

They however, acknowledged the presence of a list of thorough-bred journalists in the mainstream media who have exhibited decades of flawless integrity and mastery of responsible journalism in the quality and quantity of their write-ups, investigative reports, editorials and analysis, urging them to protect the reputation of the profession.

 

Converging at a one-day roundtable on “Bridging the Gap Between the Newsroom and the Classroom,” they advocated a synthetic collaboration between classrooms and the newsrooms, through the engagement of journalists as adjunct lecturers in the universities and polytechnics to enable the students benefit from their industry experience thereby building qualitative manpower which will enhance their employability on graduation.

 

In his remarks on the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe stressed the vital role of journalism in the socio-political and economic development of the globe, remonstrating however, about the dangerous wounds inflicted on the image of the profession by unverified reports or outright falsehood which assassinate peoples’ characters and destroy their destinies.

 

Osoba, who chaired the occasion, stated that with few examples, many media reports reflect lack of faith in the country as they tend to run it down by chronicling only negative events to the detriment of the government’s developmental programmes and other positive achievements.

 

“While there is widespread insecurity in the country, it is not peculiar to Nigeria, but adequate attention is hardly given to efforts at combating them. We can recall the level of insecurity in the country in 2014, compared to what it is now.

 

“Besides, the current government has embarked on huge infrastructural development projects like the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, the Lagos –Ibadan Rail Line, and others in the South-East and North, which deserve reporting, this often takes the background in the media. In his keynote address, the Chairman of Troyka Holdings, Dr. Biodun Shobajo advocated interrogation of contemporary media needs and developing pedagogy and research in tandem with relevance,

 

innovation and technology, because no society can grow beyond its level of thinking. Prof. Idachaba, a former Director- General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), stressed the need for the mainstream media to reinvent themselves by creating and adhering to ethical culture, just as regulatory agencies must perform their duties even as Mass Communication curriculum should be tailored along emerging trends like digital marketing.

 

On his part, Professor Osho wants the National University Commission (NUC) to ensure that accreditation of universities is more rigorous, and address the issue of unqualified students. He also called on the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to register and monitor all bloggers to ensure compliance with journalism ethos.

 

Convener of the event and African Representative of the World Journalism Education Council, Prof Akinfeleye said the event was informed by urgent need to reposition journalism through the creation of a nexus between the newsroom and classroom.

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