The United States Consulate in Lagos, in collaboration with the Media Career Development Network (MCDN), has hosted another bi-monthly Journalism Clinic with a call on journalists to be more development focused in their reporting.
The session, held at the U.S. Consulate in Victoria Island, Lagos, according to https://mediaerrandsnews.com/ brought together early- and mid-career journalists for a day of intensive training and mentoring on the tools, practices, and ethics of development journalism.
In her welcome remarks, the Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Consulate, Julie McKay, reaffirmed the Consulate’s commitment to supporting journalists and journalism as a vital pillar of democratic governance.
She disclosed plans to expand the journalism clinic beyond Lagos to other parts of the country, adding that the Consulate provides several programmes, resources, and American Spaces which journalists can leverage for professional development.
One of the facilitators, Editor-in-Chief and Team Lead of DevReporting, Mojeed Alabi, called on journalists to ground development stories in the lived realities of communities. He described development issues as “locally global,” explaining that even globally recognised challenges often originate at the community level.
Alabi cautioned against an overly activist approach to journalism that focuses mainly on exposing wrongdoing, noting that such reporting can discourage sources and limit the flow of information. Instead, he urged journalists to adopt people-centred, issue-driven, evidence-based, solutions-oriented, and contextually grounded storytelling.
According to him, development journalism thrives on collaboration, education, and empowerment, stressing the need for journalists to work together in tracking outcomes and measuring real-world impact.
Another facilitator, Premium Times reporter Mariam Ileyemi, highlighted the importance of multimedia storytelling in development reporting. She encouraged journalists to invest in quality gadgets such as smartphones and cameras, ensure proper documentation, and provide clear photo and video evidence, including environmental shots, to enhance credibility and impact. She also emphasised the importance of consistent follow-up on development stories.
Participants described the session as impactful and insightful. Ibrahim Adam, a journalist with The Punch, said the training reinforced the understanding that development journalism begins at the community level. He noted that grassroots reporting goes beyond the five Ws and H, focusing instead on human-centred stories that influence lives in areas such as health, education, and climate change.
Another participant, Mohammed Aminu Yahaya, Operations Manager at MyFundAction, said the clinic would strengthen his capacity for development reporting, particularly at the community level. He described the training as priceless, especially for first-time participants, and expressed optimism about attending more similar sessions.
Also speaking at the event, the CEO of Media Errand News, Joseph Jegede, who emerged as the class president and was a participant, shared insights from his journalism experience. He advised journalists on the importance of knowing when to conceal their identity in order to obtain accurate and detailed information during story sourcing.
Jegede also engaged participants after the session, highlighting the mission of Media Errand News in giving back to communities through educative stories and capacity-building trainings.
The Executive Director of MCDN, Lekan Otufodunrin, concluded the session by urging participants to take conversations on development journalism beyond the training room and apply the lessons to their everyday reporting.
