Journalism Will Retain Its Shine, Fmr Governor Osoba Tells Practitioners

A former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has said that journalism will retain its shine despite the changing landscape of media practice.

He said in his opening address at the launch of Pinnacle Daily in Abuja, on October 15.

Osoba, who was the chairman of the occasion and represented by Chief Eric Teniola, urged practitioners to continue to stay true to professionalism.

He said Pinnacle Daily, an online newspaper, comes at a time when the journalism profession and the media are going through very dramatic changes.

He noted that the coming of the Internet and the influence of technological innovation, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), have had a positive and telling effect on the way journalists produce, disseminate and even consume news nowadays.

“Journalism today is also assailed by the phenomenon of fake news and misinformation in a world where virtually anybody with a device with an Internet connection can produce and disseminate just about anything couched as news.

“In all this, for me, journalism, a profession that is as old as time itself, will continue to retain its shine, as long as we as professionals continue to stay true to professionalism based on the strictest ethical standards, which are the hallmarks of true journalism practice,” Osoba, a renowned journalist and politician.

He stressed that as professionals, especially for the elders and leaders in the profession, the onus is on them to show the light and lead the way in the preservation of journalism practice and standards.

This is “a duty I want to remind us all that we must never shy away from,” Osoba said.

Sharing concern about a related phenomenon, he stressed that citizen journalism is driven by increasing access to the Internet and social media, especially among the youth.

“No one can hold back the trajectory of the Internet, but there are serious issues around practice, standards and ethics with the advent of citizen journalism.

“While news reporting and dissemination have been so democratised that there are now in some quarters questions about what news is and who a journalist is, what sets real professionals apart is their adherence to journalism ethics,” Osoba maintained.

He commended publishers who are staying true to their profession and maintaining sanity in the practice.

He praised the traditional media for continuing to weather the harsh economic conditions to produce journalism that continues to serve the best interests of truth and the people.

“Our work as journalists and truth bearers is even more imperative today in preserving our fledgling democracy and promoting the well-being of our people.

“As Chairman of this occasion, I commend the leadership of Pinnacle Digital Resources Limited, publishers of Pinnacle Daily, for braving the odds of today’s harsh media terrain to set up a newspaper that will be value-driven and that, I am told, Nigerians would be ultimately asked to pay for.

“Pinnacle Daily, I am told, is business-focused and would deliver valuable information and data that would enable people to make smart decisions about their lives and businesses,” Osoba said.

He believes the Nigerian economy, businesses and ordinary folks will benefit from such a value-driven newspaper.

“In the age where technology drives media business, I think it is important for media entrepreneurs to see media as a business and understand the interplay between having a sound product, understanding that the audience or consumer is key and being ready to deploy technology appropriately,” Osoba added.

In attendance at the launch were veteran journalists, including the Senior Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Leadership, Azu Ishiekwene; Vice Chair and Chair of the Blueprint Editorial Board, Zainab Okino, Editor-in-Chief/COO of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, and Founder and Principal Partner of Omalicha Media Network Ltd, Angela Agoawike.

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