THE NIGERIA GUILD AND JOURNALISM FOR A NEW AGE

By Gabriel Omonhinmin.
Many years ago, I spent some time covering agriculture. I remember quite a few farmers getting eloquent and a bit emotional talking about the satisfaction they felt in watching the seeds they planted in the spring grow into a mature crop.
Trainers, writing coaches, editors and other newsroom mentors sometimes don’t get that kind of satisfaction. Some of the seeds we plant blossom elsewhere. Or we move on before they do. Or we didn’t even notice where they took root. We may never see or learn what became of our advice or example. Life gets busy for us and the people we help and they or we forget to stay in touch.
This is exactly the case with the founding editors of the Nigerian Guild. They have long stopped showing any interest in the affairs of the guild. This has not only rob the guild of good advice it is also affecting the quality of leadership of the organisation. That’s not how leadership and mentoring and coaching work should be.
Right from the inception of the guild, when our most respected Lateef Kayode Jakande, became its first President, the body then worked to promote fair, principled journalism, defend and protect the Nigerian Constitution, and fight for freedom of information and open government. Throughout this time, the Nigerian Guild members joined together to weather crises, seize opportunities and take action to improve their profession in service of the public good.
About forty-eight years after, the Nigerian Guild of Editors is at a turning point. Challenges to open government, the Freedom of Information Bill, and the principled journalism are stronger than ever. The need for citizen awareness is greater than ever. Digital journalism is creating a future that is far less predictable than ever. To confront these challenges successfully, the Guild must amplify its voice, enlarge its actions and equip its members as agents of change.
The Guild has a singular opportunity to accomplish these goals: “Journalism for a New Age”. On the third or fourth week of June, editors from across the country would gather in Lagos, Nigeria’s Commercial Capital to elect a new set of officers for the guild, as we prepare for this election, our profession journalism is wrestling with many other challenges, which include profit pressures, the rise of new information technologies, and, frankly, some bad journalism habits that have let our readers and listeners distrustful, at times, of our efforts.
The rise of new information technologies is prompting new questions, such as:
· “Who is a journalist?”
· “What is journalism?”
As we are all aware, ordinary citizens have began to participate in the gathering and delivering of news. In some cases they are watchdogging news organizations and reporting stories we got or done wrong. In other cases, they are reporting the news before journalists discover it. And they are also focusing on hyper-local community news that most newspapers and broadcast stations don’t have the resources to cover.
Meanwhile, bad journalism habits have given rise to such initiatives as civic journalism. Civic journalism aims to help return journalism to its core mission to give people the news and information they need to do their job as citizens.
Alexis de Tocqueville,the Frenchman who was a keen observer of American life, said some 170 years ago: “You can’t have real newspapers without democracy, and you can’t have democracy without newspapers.”
It’s no longer enough for journalists themselves to think they are doing a good job. Readers and listeners have to agree that a free press plays an essential role in our democratic society for journalists to merit their special place.
The goal of journalism for a New Age, is among other things, to produce news that citizens need to be educated about issues and current events, to make civic decisions, to engage in civic dialogue and action – and generally to exercise their responsibilities in a democracy.
It is the common belief, that, it is possible for journalists to create news coverage that motivates people to think, and even to act, and not simply entice them to watch, ogle or stare. And, in fact, they believe it’s journalists responsibility to do so.
For journalists to be taken seriously in our present day society the editor has a major role to play, editors are also expected to provide leadership. This is one of the reasons why we most all ensure that credible persons only are voted for in the forthcoming Guild of Editors elections in Lagos.
The leaders the guild needs now, are leaders who will help engender our media’s watchdog role. Leaders who will resolve not only to provide leadership but help in spotlighting corruption and injustice.
We need leaders who will not be part of government of the day at the Federal, State and Local Government Levels. The leadership the guild does not require at this particular point in time are leaders who have no other agenda than to pay courtesy call on officer holders.
The leadership the guild requires are leaders with an agenda, purposeful, clear headed, leaders that will help the Nigeria media, assume the role of a guide dog –that will help the Nigerian people figure out what kind of roles they could play in a democracy beyond simply casting a ballot.
We need leaders who will abandon the attack dog role that seemed to be just creating a lot of noise in a very noisy media environment like Nigeria.
The leader I would vote for at the guild elections, is a leader who would be able to answer convincingly, these ten questions that will help him or her make Good Ethical Decisions:-
a) What do I know? What do I need to know?
b) What is my journalistic purpose?
c) What are my ethical concerns?
d) What organizational policies and professional guidelines should I consider?
e) How can I include other people, with different perspectives and diverse ideas, in the decision-making process?
f) Who are the stakeholders—those affected by my decision? What are their motivations? Which are legitimate?
g) What if the roles were reversed? How would I feel if I were in the shoes of one of the stakeholders?
h) What are the possible consequences of my actions? Short term? Long term?
i) What are my alternatives to maximize my truth telling responsibility and minimize harm?
j) Can I clearly and fully justify my thinking and my decision? To my colleagues? To the stakeholders? To the public?
We hope to have a credible leadership in the Guild later this month, that is, if the elections would hold.
Mr. Omonhinmin works for Voice of Nigeria