In his Newsroom Diary series, Lekan Otufodunrin, journalist and media career development specialist, writes of newsroom love relationship
Relationship escapades were very common in the early years of my days in the newsrooms. One gets to hear stories of which Oga was having one kind of relationship or the other with the female staff or interns.
Some of the cases were well known to all as even the ‘couples’ left no one in doubt of their affairs.
Some editors were brazen and woe betide some reporters who attempted to compete with them in having a relationship with some ladies. Some are experts in ‘hacking’ interns.
Others were not. You suspect some chemistry flow, but what you see in the open is official interaction.
What was not obvious was that beyond the newsroom production, some other kinds of interactions were going on behind the scene.
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As time went on and I moved on to work in other places, I assumed that the kind of newsroom romance one used to hear was no longer common. I took it for granted that journalists were now more concerned about doing their editorial work and not mixing work with pleasure.
I voiced this observation one day on my journey back home with my car filled with colleagues heading in my direction during one of those endless discussions on everything from politics to work back in the office.
“Editor what did you say,” one of them asked to be sure she heard me right. “Did you say there are no longer newsrooms love affairs?”
“Yes, at least not to my knowledge,” I replied adding that many journalists are now faithful Christians or Muslims.
“Okay O editor if you say so. You may not know what is happening because you are just facing your work. You are a Journalist for Christ,” She responded.
“A lot is happening. If I tell you what is happening, who is doing what with who, you will ask me to rewind.”
“Really,” I said hoping she will open up and tell me more so I stop being naïve about the untold stories in the newsroom.
“It is well. Let me leave it like that. It’s good you don’t know, so you won’t be disappointed in those you think are saints.”
“It is well,” I also responded as increased the volume of the car radio and enjoyed the music playing.
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