November 24 was a day to remember in the life of the university, a glorious homecoming for the media craftsman. Mounting the stage at the Princess Alexander Auditorium, UNN, the venue of the event, Nwosu took the excited audience through the pages of his memorable experiences in Nigerian journalism, speaking extensively on ‘Merging Theory and Practice: From Classroom to the Newsroom’.
His personal experiences spiced up the lecture, which was attended by staff, students and several digintaries. “When I was here, we were told that one of the functions of the mass media, besides information and all that is status conferring,” he said. “I remember Prof Ekwelie telling us that when you walk out there and you are carrying the Time magazine, the Newswatch or even The Guardian newspaper, it puts you in a class. So when I left this department, I told myself that I am going to work in only two places, either at The Guardian or Newswatch. I later got into The Guardian but before then, somebody offered me job on a platter of gold, as it were, with the National Concord. I wasn’t interested that they were paying almost twice the salary being paid at The Guardian.
So when I got to The Guardian, I had to go through various tests despite the qualifications I already had including lecturing in Mass Communication departments in some polytechnics during my service. My supervisor then, Mrs Harriet Lawrence, looked at my script and said, ‘young man, you can write, I think we can take you’, and that was my first script”.
Nwosu advised the students to cherish the classroom experiences, noting that they would be highly useful in the newsroom.
“Everything you learn here today and throughout your stay in this department will come handy for you as you begin the challenges of the workplace. Some courses might be very boring, some you may not understand but try and pick something from each one. Now, don’t expect anybody to come into the newsroom and be asking you how many picas or points does M has? How do you prefer it to B? But knowing these details comes in handy when you begin to be saddled with the responsibility of casting headlines as you go on,” he explained.
The Director also urged the students to develop strong shock absorbers, noting that unexpected incidents will put their faith in journalism profession to the test.
“I have to sound a note of warning: there is a big shock waiting for you out there. The moment you get out there, you will discover that many of the things being done there are no longer as sacrosanct as the fathers of this profession meant them to be. The reason is that the profession has been taken over by persons with no journalism training at all and they are the ones now dictating the pace. But the fact that you went through this department will always make you bear in mind that there is a better and proper way of doing things. You also need to bear in mind where you want to work while leaving here. I left here already bearing in mind that I will work in print and it worked out. While you are here, I will advise you take interest in everything, in different areas so that whenever you go out there, you can easily fit yourself in anywhere,” he explained.
He compared the traditional roles of the media with a living organism that needs to adjust to changes in its environment, saying, “these roles which you are being taught in class have not changed but the manner and mode of delivering them has changed a great deal and they will keep changing. However, unlike before when we all waited for the papers to hit the newsstand the next day, there are now other ways of getting the news as it is breaking; that is what internet, social media and even citizen journalism are all about.”
Nwosu stressed the need for passion as the secret of a successful career in journalism. He noted that the passion for news fuels every journalist’s drive to go the extra mile.
“I remember during the June 12 crisis, I was coming out of my house and discovered there was no vehicle anywhere. I had to trek from Ijesha to Lawanson, from Lawanson to Ojuelegba, then to Yaba, to The Guardian office located towards Oshodi Express Road. I later trekked my way back. I arrived at the office, lo and behold, I discovered that the reporter who has not been confirmed on the work was already there. That is passion at work,” he recounted.
He explained that with the invention of ICTs, media practitioners must hone their skills and adapt to new technologies. He urged them to leverage on the advantage of the media profession, especially professionalism and authenticity”, pointing out that “what the new technologies have done for us is to remove the huge cost of publishing business”.
“Now, people with neither professional training nor editorial experience have become editors or even online publishers today and it has been all garbage. For now, our only hope of remaining relevant is to take the battle to them right there at the cyber space and we can do this by bringing in ethics and professionalism to bear on our works. That way, the audience will begin to tell the real professionals from gate crashers,” he said.
He left the audience with the tit-bits of writing saying, “In the course of writing, if you want to be read, this is mass communication, write with the mind of communicating with the masses. Write in such a way that the larger part of the people that will read it will understand.”
And with that, Mr Nwosu was done with the gospel of journalism.The Head of the Department, Dr Greg Ezea, noted that the dialogue was borne out of the desire of the department and the public relations unit of the university to encourage research that will impact national development in keeping with the dreams of the founding fathers of the university.
He said the department will continue to provide students and staff with the learning environment and quality education needed to make them functional citizens in the 21st century.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, who also passed through the department, Mr Chido Nwakanma, noted that as the pioneer school of journalism in Africa, the event remains crucial in improving the pedigree of students of the department, Jackson School.
Mr. Nwakanma, who is also the President of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), further explained that the event provided the staff and students of the department with the opportunity to have an insight into what is obtainable in the field.
Source: SUN NEWS
