Speeches

2nd Edition Of The Soyinka Medial Lecture Series

Jul 13, 2009 - I must express appreciation to the organisers of the Soyinka Media Lecture Series for inviting me to this event and for their graciousness in giving me all of 15 minutes to present a keynote address to appraise the past and future of the Nigerian media landscape.

The theme for this year's speech which is "Narrating the Nigerian Story: The Challenges for Journalism" provides a very useful compass for delimiting the ambit of my contribution and I will further limit myself by choosing to confine my evaluation of the past and future of the Nigerian Media to the role they have played in enthroning and sustaining good governance.

It is beyond any fair argument to contend that without the role of the Nigerian Media our march to independence from colonial governance will certainly have been more difficult.

Many publications which I am too young to have known were the voices of our people, against colonial rule, a rule that was not legitimate, that we did not consent to.

I however remember publications like the West African Pilot, Iwe Irohin as loud voices for conveying our disapproval for Gunboat government.

After independence our democratic experience was hardly settled before the military intervened and but for brief interludes between 1979-83 and 1993, our media simply assumed the role of their predecessors by being instruments in the hands of oppressed people against their oppressors in government from whom they demanded self determination.

Historically therefore, the DNA of our media was that of opposition against illegitimate and dictatorial governments. It was a history of the Media as the opposition Government.

Today, while I acknowledge that the jury is undecided whether we have democracy or civilian rule, I must venture to suggest that the DNA of the Media must change if Nigeria is to develop.

The Nigerian Media must by action and information management stop being in opposition and lead the search for that narrow path to development that has eluded us.

I agree that media houses have profit making objectives apart from their social responsibility. I also agree that bad news make great headlines but I think we are not telling enough of our own good stories.

The risk here is that nobody will tell it for us.

Repeated bad news also has significant adverse effects on the profit objective of Media houses, because it kills enterprise, investment and growth from where the Media stands largely to benefit.

I do not wish to be misunderstood as suggesting that bad news should not be reported. All I am saying is that there are good stories that can lift the spirit and raise hope.

Even bad news can be reported in a manner that challenges the person or agency involved to change. Instead of calling a person an illiterate, I will chose to describe him as somebody who needs to be better educated.

Instead of addressing a person as undisciplined, I will suggest to him that he can improve his behaviour.

If you continue to tell your child that he has no hope while another parent gives hope and encouragement to his own child to believe that it is possible, the outcomes of both methods are certainly bound to be different with long lasting consequences.

The Nigerian Media must change its language and challenge the Nigerian political elite rather than simply condemning their shortcomings.

The Lagos State Government policy of "Adopt a School" which has enabled us enlist support of the private sector to improve our public education sector derived a lot of inspiration from a beautiful article written by Yusuf Olaniyonu of This Day Newspapers.

He did not condemn us. He pointed out the problems and challenged all of us to give something back to the great institutions which produced us and which have become shadows of themselves. That was the encouragement I needed to galvanize my colleagues that we could do it. The results have been encouraging.

For the avoidance of doubt, let me tell you that everyday I go out, the only thing I see are problems that are monumental and I spend each minute of my waking time pondering and searching for solutions to them. Everybody who offers a solution assist me enormously.

I will attempt to conclude by looking at the future and prospects of the media.

There is no doubt that uncertain global economic climate poses great challenges for journalism.

Increasing globalization challenges capitalism to its foundations. An emerging cyber world driven by a fluid but dynamic technology advancement especially the internet, is yet to reveal the full dimensions of the changes that it will impact on journalism.

But the truth is that some changes have occurred and the question is whether the Nigerian Media is responding pro-actively or reactively.

According to Fareed Zakaria, the Editor of Newsweek Magazine

"It is no secret that the business of journalism is in trouble. Venerable America institutions are facing uncertain futures; once profitable enterprises are struggling to find ways to fund their operations…The point, we believe, holds true for a magazine like ours…The internet does a good job of playing the role long filled by newspapers, delivering headlines, opinions and instant analysis. Many newspapers have long been forced into a traditional newsmagazine model, with longer-form reporting and more big-picture thinking, but they still have to do it every day, and there is only so much wisdom one can summon in a few hours…What is displaced by these categories?. The chief casualty is the straightforward news piece and news written with a few (hard-won, to be sure) new details that does not move us significantly past what we already know. Will we cover breaking news? Yes, we will, but with a rigorous standard in mind: Are we truly adding to the conversation? When violence erupts in the Middle East, are we saying something original about it? Are our photographs and design values exceptional? If the answers are yes, then we are in business…This first issue of the reinvented NEWSWEEK is, we hope, a model of the form.

I will crave your indulgence to conclude this address and my contributions about the future by repeating some of what I said precisely 8 months ago on the 13th of November 2008 in my Goodwill Message at the 2008 Annual General Meeting of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) where I said:-

"The question I therefore now ask is, for how long will that public information expression "the Print and Electronic Media" hold true and survive the onslaught of globalization?

Indeed, do we still have a print media when our newspapers are now hosted on various sites on the worldwide web and people are increasingly reading their papers on their desktops, laptops and blackberries?

Clearly, there are challenges for newspaper growth and that of data protection of individuals from unauthorized, unreasonable use or disclosure of information.

Unarguably therefore, we must creatively manage the impact of globalization on newspaper businesses and respect for individual rights. They are challenges for a sub-sector of our economy. They are challenges for jobs. For how much longer can proprietors of newspapers keep the presses functioning in the face of dwindling salaries and technology driven demand for a new type of service?

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, these are my modest thoughts on the past contributions of our media and my suggestions about what should concern us as we face a future of immense possibilities.

Thank you.

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State