Chairman of ThisDay/Arise Media Group, Nduka Obaigbena, has stressed the need for the media to connect with the youths in shaping media narratives, if they hope to remain in business.
Obaigbena noted that the survival of newspapers, in a competitive environment where online media has dominated, rest on the constant engagement with the youths in terms of news generation, processing, and management.
Obaigbena, who was the Lead Speaker at the 2024 Lateef Jakande yearly memorial lecture, with the theme: “Rapidly Changing Media Landscape: Media Survival Strategies,” organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos, yesterday, explained that by connecting with the youths is to report issues that affect them, as well as shaping their ideology through quality report.
He noted that the youths constitute large population of the nation, emphasising the need for journalists to be creative in the manner of distributing news.
“Today, we say we are in a survival mood. That survival must come from the audience. And the audience in Nigeria is young people. Are you engaged with them? Are you working with them? Are they part of your news? Are you connected? That is the first question that we have to answer. We must speak the language of the youths,” he said.
He further noted that to win the battles of survival for newspapers and magazines, intellectual properties must be considered as asset class.
The speaker, while noting that the advent of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), has put journalism under threat, he, however, urged journalists to see AI as being beneficial to promote good journalism practice.
In his remarks, Publisher of Vanguard Media Group, Sam Amuka, recalled the old days when journalists made use of analogue and typewriter for production of news, noting that the herald of technology has changed the fortune of the media.
He expressed worry over the decline in sales of newspapers, stressing the need for the media actors to address the challenge.
Also, President of the NGE, Eze Anaba, lauded the late Jakande for his service to the journalism profession and the society.
He said that the lecture was institutionalised by the NGE to celebrate the legacy and accomplishments of the former governor of the state for living a principled and professionally impactful life.
In his address, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President, Tunde Rahman, also eulogised Jakande for spreading the gospel of quality journalism in the country.
He appealed to the media to join the government in ensuring stability in the country by reporting stories that would promote peace and safety.
