Wale Jagun & Mariam Akinloye
The Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mr Gbenga Adefaye, has made a clarion call on trained journalists to sustain the principles of the practice despite the challenges of influx of many others occasioned by the digital age when everyone has turned into reporters.
He emphasised that trained journalists must continue to earn credibility daily through transparency, humility, and thorough practice.
Adefaye gave the charge in his keynote address at the Lateef Kayode Jakande Memorial Media Roundtable organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), in partnership with the DSE Foundation, on Wednesday.
At the event themed: ‘Journalism in Digital Age: Lessons from Jakande’s Legacy’, the NIJ Provost addressed the evolving role of journalism in the digital era, while highlighting critical lessons from Lateef Jakande’s era to guide contemporary journalists.
“All that he did for journalism was, in a sense, preparing our media for the kind of transition that we now experience. From the examples of his practice and style, the deliberate and studious organisation of men and resources, erecting strong pillars of institutions to safeguard press freedom and training in the incubator/NIJ of the cub journalists for quality practice, LKJ was clearly ahead of his time.
“The story of LKJ is not merely a biographical narrative; it is a media odyssey, a social revolution. Long before hashtags became headlines and blogs tried to become newspapers, Jakande helmed a traditional media empire that served as the conscience of a nation, a thorn in the flesh of autocrats and the corrupt.
“From the editorial desk to the corridors of political power, his compass never wavered as he stood unflinchingly for the people.
“Many may have forgotten that Lateef Jakande ran the Nigerian Tribune newspapers (1956-1979) as Editor-in-Chief, leaving an imprimatur of excellence that, decades later, still has his signature brand equity – the Tribune editorials, as the biggest selling point of the oldest circulating printed newspaper in Nigeria. The Nigerian Tribune is yet to clone Jakande”.
The former Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard newspapers, engaged the audience made up of experts in the industry, scholars, journalism teachers and students, on Jakande’s work ethics and professional practice.
“Legend had it that Jakande would, after his morning prayers, be at Tinubu Square on Lagos Island before 7 a.m., read all the dailies and crank up an informed but engaging editorial by 9 a.m. to be typed and dictated to the Nigerian Tribune office in Ibadan, for the next day’s publication.
“He practised a journalism of long hours, deep research, and often, personal risk, in the era of analogue telephones, black and white web presses, and archaic media vending business models that were nonetheless successful for that time.
“What you do today for easy live chats, you then have to record by long hand, transcribe and type out on Olivetti manual typewriters before working on the cold press”.
While stating that digital journalism has enabled innovation in reporting practices, audience engagement, and business models with social media as a fulcrum of transformation, Adefaye also added that the development has lowered the barriers of admission into the practice, thereby, making it an all – comers affair with dire consequences.
“Anyone with Internet access can enjoy the wider reach of journalism and real-time reporting; deploying varied storytelling techniques in multimedia formats. Photographs, videos, infographics and animation have become ready tools to tell stories and foster engagement.
“It is an expanded diversity of voices in the public sphere that has challenged traditional gatekeeping roles of our journalists and editors. These come with significant challenges in the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories, which have sometimes undermined public understanding and trust in legitimate news sources. Disinformation and information spread faster than corrections”, he said.
Calling for sustenance of the age – long practice that is known for its respect and honour, Adefaye enumerated some lessons that must not be jettisoned from the past and which trained and professional journalists must uphold and adhere to strictly.
“First, journalism of that era was more of a mission; not just a business. It cannot be different now. The Media business should run as a civic enterprise, not a commercial cartel. In the digital age, we can find ways to monetise truth without commodifying it.
“Journalists must be educators, not just entertainers. The biggest attraction of the digital age journalism is the entertainment content of multimedia delivery. Loss of concentration is a big risk. Editorial pages must, however, remain as platforms for public reasoning, not personal branding. This can be done, using new tools to reach new audiences without losing the old values”.
The NIJ gatekeeper also charged that “the media must serve the people, especially the poor, as it does business. Because information equity is as vital as economic equity, digital journalism must bridge the digital divide, not widen it. That should be the essence of virality”.
He emphasised that, “credibility is still king. In a time when everyone with a smartphone can be a reporter cum broadcaster, those of us who claim the title of journalist must earn credibility daily through transparency, humility, and rigour.
However, he advised that.”we must embrace technology without surrendering to it. Just as the Jakandes mastered the tools of the pre-digital era—print, broadcast (as governor, LKJ set up the Lagos Radio and LTV), we must master ours—data journalism, AI ethics, immersive storytelling, while retaining our ethical backbone.”
Also speaking at the event were veterans in the industry – Chief Monzor Olowosago, the Publisher of Oriwu Sun newspaper, Mr Taiwo Obe, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin as well as the General Manager of LTV 8, Mrs Adesola Kosoko, all of whom took the conversation forward during the panel session and emphasised the importance of credibility in journalism practice.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of LASUSTECH, Prof Olumuyiwa Odusanya, in his welcome address, described the event as the contribution of the University to the memory of the former Governor of Lagos State whose legacy he said continues to model good governance.
“It is our contribution to the memory of the ‘Active Governor’ whose legacies continued to model good governance. Furthermore, it signifies our appreciation of his commitment to both education and journalism, being a distinguished journalist.
“I thank High Chief Tunde Fanimokun for chairing this occasion. Sir, we believe this is the beginning of a robust and beneficent relationship. I thank the keynote speaker, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and other panelists for coming to the event. I congratulate the Ag. HOD, Mass Communication, Dr. Steve Adesemoye and the Department for organizing the event”.
According to the Dr Adesemoye, HoD, Department of Mass Communication, LASUSTECH, the department is inspired by Adefaye’s call to action on Jakande’s legacy and are particularly intrigued by the proposal to explore his untapped journalistic archives, as suggested in collaboration with stakeholders.
