How can Journalists in Nigeria improve on the quality of their reports and maximise new opportunities for career growth in the industry?
Insights on the options available for journalists were offered by speakers at the annual Capacity Enhancement Workshop for journalists organised by leading professional services firm, PwC Nigeria held virtually on Wednesday.
Speakers at the half-day workshop included Partner and Chief Economist, PwC Nigeria, Dr. Andrew S. Nevin, Editor-in-Chief at Stears Business, Tokunbo Afikuyomi and Fiscal policy Partner and West Africa Tax Leader at PwC, Taiwo Oyedele.
In his presentation on “Economic sustainability: Tracking and reporting the metrics that matter” Dr. Nevin, noted with examples, that many media reports merely regurgitate data and statistics without providing sufficient context or insights.
He urged participants to track key metrics such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and other policy pronouncements of governments which they can use to benchmark their analysis of NBS statistics and enrich their general reporting on the economy.
According to him “if journalists don’t have metrics to monitor, it will be difficult to hold the government and other sectors accountable.”
Afikuyomi who facilitated the session on “Journalism and the new normal: challenges and opportunities” spoke on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on news consumption patterns and the implications for the fortunes of journalists and their media houses.
He noted that in times of uncertainty, trustworthy reporting becomes even more important than the speed to break the news.
According to him, with the shift to digital platforms by consumers, reporters must balance the rush to be the first to publish with providing factual information written from a unique angle that adds value to the readers.
“There is no award for being the first to publish a story. The quality and depth in an accessible way matters.”
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He emphasised the need for clarity of thoughts and clarity of expression for excellent reporting.
“In terms of clarity of thoughts in reports and providing context, there should be not much difference between a journalist and analyst. We need to move away from a generalist approach to journalism. Journalists must operate at the level of experts in the sector they are covering.”
He also noted the need for media organisations to offer premium content which readers will be willing to pay for.
“Readers will not pay for your content if they are not convinced they can get unique insights they can’t get elsewhere.”
In terms of presentation, Afikuyomi said the easiest way to get stories across don’t have to be through an article, but it could be good visualization.
The third session titled “CAMA 2020, Nigeria’s competitiveness and ease of doing business” was led by Oyedele who provided an overview of the new law which he noted is the most important business regulation in Nigeria especially as it has a significant impact on doing business, competitiveness, attracting investments, and economic growth.
He observed the controversies the Companies and Allied Matters Acts has generated and provided an analysis of the key provisions and changes introduced by the new law compared to the old version that had been in operation since 1990.
Oyedele stated the need to Gazette the law with a future commencement date to facilitate ease of transition while emphasizing the importance of effective implementation.
He noted the need to harmonise CAMA with other laws such as the Companies Income Tax Act which still requires audited accounts by all companies regardless of size.
In addition, he said more flexibility is required for foreign companies who wish to operate a business in Nigeria such that a branch registration should be permitted while incorporating a subsidiary will be optional.
He urged journalists to help re-focus discussion on the various aspects of the law instead of the focus on only how it affects Churches and charities.
In his opening remarks, Oyedele explained that PwC support for the media through the workshop and the media excellence award is in line with the company’s purpose which is to build trust in society and solve important problems.
“ It is a demonstration of our strong belief that for the Nigerian people to enjoy good governance, the media must perform its role optimally and professionally and this is reflected in the quality of reporting, in the capacity of individual journalists to carry out research and investigations, in the independence of editorial judgments, and in their ability to use technology as an enabler.
“ As a firm, we have been supporting various stakeholders in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and this is one of such interventions,” Oyedele stated.
The workshop held virtually in line with COVID-19 protocols around large gatherings, had participants from traditional broadcast, print and new media platforms.
The annual workshop, which is now in its seventh year, is a key component of PwC’s Corporate Responsibility strategy. It was instituted in recognition of the very important role of the media in society and in particular, the role that the media in Nigeria has and continues to play in informing and educating the public.
The capacity enhancement workshop precedes the award gala-nite for the announcement of winners of this year’s PwC Media Excellence Awards, which is scheduled to hold virtually on Friday
