The management of TheCable has named three young journalists in the company as the “most improved” journalists for 2021.
The award is a new category added to the annual Journalist of the Year to recognise journalists in the newspaper “who have demonstrated industry, resilience and self-motivation as well as having produced impact stories during the year”, won by Head, Fact Check Desk, Taiwo Adebulu
James Ojo, Ayodele Oluwafemi and Vivian Chime were said to have improved their skills and performance “significantly” during the year and got NN50, 000 each.
According to the newspaper, Ojo, a reporter with TheCable Lifestyle, “has in the last year spread his tentacles into investigating anomalies in society, most notably the soot pollution menace in Rivers state.”
He is a graduate of mass communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) where he graduated with a second class upper.
Oluwafemi, a criminal justice reporter, “has brought several under-reported issues to public consciousness through his relentless and passionate reporting.”
An RFW corps member, Oluwafemi holds a degree in mass communication from the University of Benin, Edo state. At the orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ebonyi in 2019, he served as the news editor of the Orientation Broadcasting Service.
Chime, also an RFW corps member, pioneered TheCable’s Climate Change Desk where she keeps readers apprised of the ripple effects of the global phenomenon as well as solutions towards limiting its impact.
Another product of mass communication from UNN, Chime has won international recognition, including the International Center for Journalists Global Health Crisis Reporting award. She was also one of the awardees for the best-fact-checked reports through the 2020 Dubawa fellowship.
Simon Kolawole, founder and CEO of TheCable, congratulated the awardees and challenged them and their colleagues to do more in the new year to spread the newspaper’s gospel of deploying knowledge-driven journalism “in the pursuit of Nigeria’s progress”.
“We are in an age dominated by sensationalism and opinionated journalism. The real challenge is trying to stay the course of professionalism. That is what can build trust and respect among enlightened and discerning readers.
Kolapo Olapoju, TheCable editor, urged the awardees and other team members to continue raising the bar as the newspaper seeks to double down on its efforts in 2022.
“Constant and never-ceasing quest for excellence is the philosophy behind everything we do at TheCable, and we have been fortunate to — over the years — attract incredible talents who we mould into sterling journalists,” he said.