What are the five key questions media owners and managers in Nigeria need to answer to have a better and deeper understanding of to record greater impact and sustainable progress?
The Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Publications, Mr Lanre Idown suggested the key questions at the workshop on Journalism and Digitalisation: The Imperative of Good Corporate Governance organised by the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos on Wednesday.
Idowu who was the Chairman of the opening programme declared open by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted that the growing penetration of digital journalism in the wake of rising costs of analogue publishing and the changing demographics of media usage dictate presents media owners and managers with a make or mar situation.
Sanwo-Olu who advised against the gagging of the media by politicians and government officials noted that ensuring good corporate governance and self-regulation of the digital space would completely eradicate false and fake news.
The key questions to which he said he does not have all the answers are as follows:
- How do we use the digital environment to improve the quality of journalism?
2. How do we use it to promote good corporate governance?
3. Can we retain analogue managers in a digital environment?
4. What can we learn from citizen journalists, and bloggers to improve the reach of our individual platforms?
5. How do we widen the appeal of our content?
6. How do we master the business opportunities available online for media sustainability?
7. How do we get the audience to pay more for our work?
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8. How do we restructure our editorial operations to cope adequately with the challenges of digital publishing?
9. Is the old division between the church and the state to be maintained? In other words, can we continue to promote the division between the editorial and business divisions of media operations? Or put another way, how best can we ensure greater market share without sacrificing editorial integrity?
10. How do we promote more trust and separate our work from the antics of scaremongers and hate peddlers?
11. How do we train the next generation of leaders to blend technical competence with needed market sensitivity, whilst appreciating the need to always put the people first?
12. How do we promote greater transparency in our organisations to engender greater public trust?
13. What provisions should be made for regulating the media environment? The power of media reach afforded by the ubiquity of the internet recommends that operators cannot run away from reasonable control. The earlier we agree on it, the better for the health of the industry.
Whilst the essence of journalism as content development and distribution remains the same, Mr Idowu, publisher of Media Review Magazine noted that the platforms through which the developed content is disseminated have changed with advances in technology and the needs of the audiences.
“From the analogue mode of presenting media content in a package processed by appointed gatekeepers, the digitalization of journalism addresses new opportunities that digital platforms provide.
“To begin with, the Internet as the information superhighway provides a revolutionary speed of developing and delivering information to larger audiences. The user-friendliness of the platforms through access to interactivity, use of multimedia, and hyper-textuality open up new directions for audience engagement and patronage. The cheaper production cost has opened up new usage, which is well utilized by social platforms,” Idowu stated.
Sanwo-Olu assures of improved, affordable internet connectivity
Sanwo-Olu assured that improved and affordable internet connection needed to enhance digital media operations will soon be available in Lagos.
“We are working with sector players to ensure that we improve upon web connectivity and by next year we will be doing a 3,000-kilometre fibre optic web connectivity just as we have done earlier on.
“We have seen the biggest set of data processing firms anchor in Lagos, Nigeria and this will reduce the costs of web connectivity and us as it is a win-win situation.”
He acknowledged the changing media landscape globally that requires media organisations to step up their operations to compete effectively and be sustainable.
Governor Sanwo-Olu while stressing the need for media practitioners to self-regulate themselves, urged them to work towards the complete eradication of fake and false news.
“Regarding my view about corporate governance, it is also to ensure that in the digital space we eradicate completely within the profession false news and fake news. People sometimes rush to post something without doing proper due diligence to verify what they are posting and ask themselves what damage would I do if they found out what I posted is not completely true.
“You must be a bit more circumspect and know that once information is out there, you cannot retrieve it. That in itself puts a lot of professional pressure on whoever that is posting any report,” he said.
We will resist anti-press freedom laws, policies -NGE President
In his address, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mustapha Issa, also warned against attempts by government officials to stifle press freedom in the country through various means like indiscriminate fines by the NBC.
He however said the media would continue to do its job as the watchdog of society, knowing fully that the people’s right to information is important and constitutionally guaranteed.
The NGE President, who urged media owners to embrace good corporate governance and accountability, said the role of scrutiny of the media should not be that of the government alone.
He noted that digital technology has provided room for journalists to become competitive and open sources of income which should be maximised.
Goodwill messages by Arogundade, Chigbo, Otufodunrin, Akinnola
In his goodwill message, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lagos, Mr Lanre Arogundade commended the NGE and stressed the need for continuous training of media professionals in the country as it is in developed nations, particularly in a situation like ours where the regulatory agencies are hostile.
He maintained that it was wrong for the National Broadcasting Commission to be acting as an attack dog for the government by imposing unjustifiable fines on broadcast stations.
The Editor-in-chief of Real News and President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers Of Nigeria, Ms Maureen Chigbo said that the advent of technology was a major threat to the quality of professionalism and commended the NGE for its commitment to training its members.
In his own address, the Founder of the Media Career and Development Network, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, said that it was high time that the sector ensures a culture of continual training for all categories of journalists.
According to him, in addition to editorial skills, there is a need for management training for media managers to ensure better management of media houses in the country.
“We need editors who are emotionally intelligent and care about the mental health of staff to retain their workers.”
While appreciating the need for specialised groups in the profession, he said there should not be too much differentiation between traditional and online publishers.
Founder of the Centre for Media and Advocacy,Mr Richard Akinnola pleaded that the legal aspects of the profession should be taken into account by the practitioners at all times.
