Lekan Otufodunrin writes on the media career lessons of the selection of the Coordinator of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka as a fellow of the John S.Knight Journalism Fellowship Standford University for the class of 2020
On Wednesday, I wrote a post on Facebook about the need for journalists to make the best use of opportunities journalism offers despite the various challenges they have to contend with.
Instead of complaining of what journalism has not done for us, my advice was that we make the best use of what is available to get what we want and truly deserves.
This morning, I am glad to congratulate the Coordinator of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Mrs Motunrayo Alaka who has been named as one of the International Fellows of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University for the class of 2020.
Wait for it, beginning in September, the JSK Class of 2019-2020 according to the announcement will “spend 10 months at Stanford strengthening their leadership skills while working on projects that address some of the most urgent issues in journalism.”
“ They and their SPOUSES and PARTNERS (emphasis mine) will have the opportunity to sit in on Stanford classes and to access a diverse range of interdisciplinary experts and events at Stanford and across Silicon Valley. The fellows will test ideas and perform experiments aligned with the primary objectives of the JSK Fellowships: challenging misinformation and disinformation; holding the powerful accountable; strengthening local news; and fighting bias, intolerance and injustice.”
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I am not sure what Alaka’s middle name is, but for me, it could well be INTENTIONAL.
Her speech and presentations at most media trainings I have been part of are not complete with the advice that journalists should be intentional about what they want to achieve in their career.
Alaka’s selection definitely did not come by chance. It is a well-deserved reward for her years of tremendous passion and drive for enhancing the capacity of journalists in the country through various innovative programmes and projects.
She is used to journalists coming to programmes to lament about what prevents them from excelling on their jobs and her usual counsel which she ( not a graduate of Mass Communication and has not worked in a media house) has proved by her modest professional accomplishments is that journalists cannot afford to leave their careers to chances, the limitations of the media houses they work or the generally depressing media landscape.
“ You have to be INTENTIONAL” she usually says “ about what you want and go all out to achieve your target goals”. According to her, both the journalist and media houses must have clear strategies for what they want to accomplish instead of allowing the challenges to overwhelm them.
She admits that the best of being intentional may not fully ensure that we get what we want, but according to her, our chances of making the best of our careers are higher when we do. It will guarantee that we are a force to reckon with and not just another journalist contented with the status quo
For record purpose, Alaka will be joining the list of past Nigerian Stanford Knight Fellows including Journalist and Communication expert, Tunji Lardner (1989) Assistant Editor, The Punch, Solaade Ayo-Aderele (2001) and Editor- in -Chief/ CEO, Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, (2013)
Congratulations Mrs Motunrayo INTENTIONAL Alaka. Take a bow
