By Lekan Otufodunrin (@lotufodunrin)
One disservice any professional can do to him or herself in the present age of globalization is to be contented with being a local or national champion.
More than ever before, thanks to new technology, it is now easier to be an international player in one’s field of endeavour.
Instead of remaining a local journalist throughout one’s career, you can exploit opportunities for making an impact in journalism beyond the local media house you work for.
Achieving this task is not as difficult as we sometimes imagine. The first and important step to take is to strive to be the best in whatever your media assignment is and keep working at meeting or surpassing international standards.
A Yoruba proverb says if you don’t get to see another person’s father’s farm, you will assume that your father’s own is the biggest and the best.
As you grow in the profession, get to know how journalism is practiced beyond your media house, in your state, the country, continent and globally. Read international publications and monitor international broadcast stations. Search online for international renowned websites and blogs.
If there is an opportunity to write for the publications or produce content for the stations and online platforms, give it your best shot to break into the ranks of Nigerian journalists with international bylines.
I usually feel professionally fulfilled whenever I read my reports in international publications and get invited for international conferences.
International awards, fellowships, conferences and networks are other opportunities for getting international exposure and recognition. One way to get over the challenges of practising journalism in the country is to have a global mentality approach to your job.
What this can do for you is that you will not be limited by the local media environment you work. So, it will not matter if you are poorly paid locally or if freelance journalists are not paid in the country.
If there is no opportunity for regular local trainings, you can be invited for all expenses paid international programmes and conferences.
Imagine how good I felt late last year when I got a $400 (four hundred dollars) bank alert from a US-based media organization as the end of year gift for my assistance in ‘fixing’ their Nigerian news assignments.
I had earlier been paid agreed fees for the stories I wrote, scheduling interviews, providing background information on some major stories and facilitating other logistics.
Before the payment, I travelled to Kenya on a continental media fellowship and participated in a global media project consultation in New York.
By local standards and opportunities, you may not be happy with your accomplishment as a journalist, but as a global village journalist, there is no limit to what you can make of the profession.
Resolve today to scale up your media practice beyond Nigeria. The world is waiting to read your stories, hear your perspectives on issues and watch your programmes. You have what it takes to be an international journalist if you want to and try hard enough.
