Lack of jobs affecting students’ motivation to excel– Don

Vice-President of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, South-West, Rotimi Olatunji, shares his thoughts with ISMAEEL UTHMAN on the prospects and challenges of journalism practice

What gap is your association trying to fill in communication practice and study?

The association was established over 12 years ago to bridge the existing gap between scholars and professionals in different areas of communication and media in Nigeria. Our association is the first to attempt to actualise a Town and Gown partnership in all areas of communication and media in Nigeria.

The goal is to promote the quality delivery of the constitutionally mandated role of the media to society. Before this bold attempt, media professionals existed in their domain, while academics operated in the ivory towers, with mutual suspicion and counter-accusations regarding the delivery of our assigned roles as scholars and professionals in communication and media.

But today, the ACSPN provides the opportunity for both groups to work side by side to advance the theory and practice of communication and media in Nigeria.

What is your assessment of communication  and media graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions?

There is an ongoing debate on the quality of graduates from our tertiary institutions in Nigeria today. This is also true for graduates of Communication and Media Studies, or the traditional Mass Communication programmes. There is no straightforward answer to this question. On one hand, the curricula in these disciplines are expanding.

There is much to learn now, with increased opportunities and platforms to acquire knowledge, thanks to the internet and digitisation. The number of tertiary institutions offering Communication and Media Studies is also expanding, with respective regulatory bodies performing oversight functions. These are all geared towards producing quality communication and media scholars and professionals.

Ironically, a good number of graduates may not exhibit the required knowledge and skills for success. This has led society to question the quality of our graduates. Much is still expected from the classroom in terms of upgrading knowledge and skills in our field. The motivation to excel among our graduates may be diminishing given the hostile economic situation, especially the lack of job opportunities in Nigeria.

It is in a bid to address this challenge that the ACSPN was established, to provide the much-needed opportunities to bring the industry into the classroom and the classroom into the newsroom, as well as other components of communication and media industries.

The goal of ACSPN is to partner all stakeholders to produce industry-ready graduates. The newly unbundled Communication and Media Studies programmes in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission were initiated by the ACSPN to address the question of quality manpower delivery in our disciplines. However, our graduates need to demonstrate increased commitment to quality in all areas of the discipline.

What do you do to address the disconnect between the classroom and the newsroom?

The ACSPN has been committed to addressing the challenge of quality manpower development since its inception. We have several outreach programmes, one of which is called the Empowerment Series, where we regularly bring media professionals into the classroom to share their experiences with our students. The Historical Series brings veterans in all areas of communication and media into institutions of learning.

The same applies to the Eminent Personalities series. We also offer Mentorship programmes for undergraduates in Communication and Media Studies. The ACSPN organises programmes that bring scholars and professionals together to carry out action research that addresses societal challenges.

Interestingly, the ACSPN’s 11th annual international conference, scheduled for 4th to 5th September 2024 in Ikeja, Lagos, provides one of the biggest platforms to jointly tackle the challenge of manpower development in communication and media in Nigeria.

How do cultural differences impact professional communication practices in Nigeria?

Communication itself is a cultural component of humanity because communication exists within cultures and promotes them. Nigeria is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual society that communication and media must engage. At ACSPN, we are committed to cultural sensitivities and sensibilities.

Even the curricula in our disciplines emphasise this commitment, as we teach courses like Multicultural Communication, Sociology of Media, Advertising/Public Relations and Society, and others. The role of the media in promoting harmony in society is enormous.

Scholars and professionals must continue to display a high level of commitment to the laws and ethics of our disciplines, including a commitment to national development by being culturally responsive, sensitive, and sensible.

How can traditional media and new media be measured for ethics and professional conduct?

For traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and television, the commitment to media law and ethics is ingrained in their practices. Gate keeping functions and oversight are solidly integrated into their daily activities. For those whose level of media literacy is high in Nigeria, if a piece of news is not published or exposed through traditional media, then the credibility of such news is in doubt.

Therefore, the traditional media cannot afford to betray public trust and confidence in that regard. However, the challenge lies with the new media ecology, where non-professionals operate without restrictions and appear to have thrown caution to the wind. Citizen Journalism, although a welcome addition to journalism practice in an ever-expanding public sphere, is inundated with issues of non-adherence to journalistic laws and ethics.

Communication scholars and professionals need to do more through a series of public enlightenment programmes to sensitise the public to the dangers of fake news, false news, hate speech, and offensive publications on less credible social media platforms.

Stakeholders, including the government, media professional bodies, unions, and scholars, need to come together to map out strategies for retaining the best aspects of citizen journalism, as well as designing modalities to sanitise its currently unacceptable negative impact on our cherished media profession.

What is your assessment of the standards of practice among journalists in Nigeria?

Digital media technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and other emergent media technologies have revolutionised journalism and media practice today. But they have also contributed to the negative aspects of journalism and media practice.

There seems to be an overreliance on technology in all aspects of media professional practices. We depend on emerging media to source and write news, edit and frame stories, and write advertising copies and Photoshop visuals.

The old creativity, talents, and acumen of media professionals seem to be diminishing. We need to humanise and tame digital media technologies to avoid the booby traps of technological determinism and remain relevant in the scheme of things.

How much impact do you think AI will have on journalism practice in Nigeria?

The impact of AI on journalism practice in Nigeria is a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The opportunities that AI offers for academic and professional excellence in journalism are limitless. The phenomenal growth and development of journalism in the era of AI are breathtaking.

 Journalists and other media professionals, including scholars, can only ignore the integration of AI into their respective practices at their peril. However, the need for responsible and ethical usage and reliance on AI cannot be overemphasised.

Happily, the theme of the ACSPN conference is “Digital Communication and Governance in Africa”. The Keynote address will be presented by Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, a foremost journalist whose commitment to professional and ethical AI in journalism remains remarkable.

Professor Svetlana, of the Department of Mass Communication and Media Studies at St Petersburg State University, Russia, will also address a Masterclass on “Reimagining AI in Communication and Governance”. Nearly 500 scholars and professionals from different institutions in Nigeria and globally will hold several syndicate sessions to deliver papers on the responsible and professional use of AI in Journalism, Communication, and Media.