Eleven reasons why journalists should not be poor

* A 2014 graduate of Mass Communication wins £1000 prize in a journalism award in 2016 and you tell me there is no money in journalism, give me a break.

* Many journalists are not poor because they are not well paid, many are simply blind to ethical opportunities to make money in the profession.

* Why should some journalists complain of being poor when they are too lazy to participate in awards and competition that can earn them good money and placement.

* Not all journalists that are rich engage in unethical practices, many are either well paid or have learnt how to supplement their income with other ethical streams of income.

* Some journalists think they cannot be rich unless they leave journalism, some will be poor even if they are in other supposedly juicy professions if their present poor attitude to work is the same.

* A journalist whose annual salary is not up to N700,000 a year recently won up to $20,000 grant for a story on pure water. Do you still need any proof that your salary should not define your earning capacity in journalism

* For the avoidance of doubt, journalists are not the poorest paid professionals. If others who are even poorly paid than journalists are making the best of their situation, bemoaning your fate will not get you too far.

* Every profession is as good as what you make out of it. You are not poor because you are a journalist, you can remain poor because of your poverty mentality.

* Journalism is not a pact with poverty, if our profession changes life of people and organisations for good, why not ours

* Money is not all you need to be successful in life, journalism can give you important things money cannot buy.

* $100,000 is up for grabs from Innovate Africa www.innovateafrica.fund seeking disruptive digital ideas to improve how news is collected and disseminated. Deadline for submission is unfortunately December 1. You probably would have seen this announcement before now, if you have been looking out for media grants like this. Better late than never, try if you can or be prepared for the next call for applications.

What do you think? Share your views with me and others who will get to read these debatable points.

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