TOP TEN TIPS FOR YOUNG ASPIRING JOURNALISTS IN NIGERIA

 

Do you love writing?, Do you have a flare for reporting events to the public,Do you want to unearth the hidden truth and make every member of the society accountable?, Then this is the article for you.

Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on recent events. Journalism is an interesting field and many young Nigerians are stepping into it and trying to build a career out of it.

Today, youths in Nigeria are venturing into journalism and here are Top Ten tips for young aspiring journalists in Nigeria:

 

1) Read and write everyday: Reading often keeps you updated on what is going on in the world. As an aspiring journalist, it is important to read what others have written. You learn more from reading news, stories and articles written by others. Writing everyday is another way to go. The more you write, the better you get. As you write and give others to edit, you  take note of your flaws and you get better with time.

 

2) Be curious: As an aspiring journalist, you have to possess a natural curiosity. That itch to gather  information will help you unfold facts. Try to dig deeper and don’t just look for the obvious, research more.

 

3) Be sure to get experience: As much as you will like to be an entrepreneur and work on your own, it is important to gain experience. Volunteer, intern, because it lets you see how things work in the real world. Don’t just depend on what is being taught in class because some lecturers in Nigeria just give you theory and no practical to actualize what is being taught. Go that extra mile!.

 

4) Always ask questions: You learn more by asking questions. Do not assume instead, ask questions to gather facts. Ask those questions that no one is asking, you will be amazed at what you will find.

 

5) Have a goal: What is that thing that drives your interest in journalism?, what do you plan to achieve?, knowing your mission and objective will help you be a good journalist. Some people go into journalism because they want to make money, forgetting the primary objective which is to inform the public. Knowing your mission and goal will help you be a good journalist.

 

6) Interest and passion: As an aspiring journalist, it is important to know what you care about. Discover that beat you are passionate about and flow from there. If you are passionate about a particular subject, then you can inspire others. That area in journalism that gets you excited, those topics that you have interest in, explore it!.

 

7) Check your facts: Be sure that your sources are reliable, do not assume. Once your facts are wrong, you mislead your audience. Always check and cross-check your information before it is being disseminated. Nothing kills a journalist’s career as been known for disseminating wrong information. Once you cannot be trusted and reliable you have failed as a journalist.

 

8) Uniqueness: As an aspiring journalist, you should try to build your style. Your style is your own unique way of writing. Find that thing that will distinguish you from other journalists and still appeal to your own audience. Story telling can be taught but your personal writing style is  unique.

 

9) Have integrity: If you want to thrive in journalism as an aspiring journalist, it is important to have integrity. It is easy to join the band of unethical journalist who receives bribe, fabricate stories  and sources. Always question what you have heard and what you have seen. Do not forget that reporting news is the goal and not fabricating it.

 

10) Objectivity: Objectivity is an important attribute of  a good journalist. As an aspiring journalist, you should strive to be objective in reporting your stories. Do not be subjective and give what you think happened or should be done. Report the events as it happened and do not inject your personal opinion. Your job is to report and not to judge. Let the readers and viewers draw their own conclusion.

Written by Teniola Egbuwalo