The Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, has charged newly admitted students of the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ, Ekiti State Campus, to distinguish themselves from the growing army of untrained citizen reporters by embracing development journalism as a responsible professional pathway.
Ojo-Lanre gave the charge while delivering the matriculation lecture titled “Development Journalism: The Responsible Pathway for Rookie Journalists in the Age of Phone Journalism” at the matriculation ceremony of the institute in Ado-Ekiti.
He said journalism was passing through one of the most dramatic revolutions in human history, noting that the mobile phone had become both a blessing and a danger to truth.
According to him, the rise of citizen journalism has created a situation where anybody with a phone, data bundle and a smattering of English can post, report, accuse, mislead, praise, condemn or destroy reputations in the name of journalism.
He warned that while technology has democratised access to publication, it has also opened the public space to reckless posting, fake news, blackmail, propaganda, rumour and unethical communication.
Ojo-Lanre said the challenge before rookie journalists was to prove that journalism is not noise, abuse, gossip, social media excitement or reckless publication, but a disciplined public service built on ethics, verification, fairness, balance and public interest.
He told the students that one of the most reliable ways to stand apart in the crowded media space was to embrace development journalism, which he described as journalism with depth, context, conscience and public purpose.
“Development journalism is the journalism of social progress. It focuses on the welfare of the people, the growth of communities, the performance of institutions and the transformation of society. It does not merely report events; it interrogates their meaning and impact on the people,” he said.
Ojo-Lanre explained that development journalism compels journalists to go beyond surface reporting by asking deeper questions about policies, projects and public programmes.
He said a development journalist must not merely report that a road has been built, but must ask who will use the road, how it will affect farmers, traders, students and patients, whether it will reduce transport costs, whether the community was involved and whether there is a maintenance plan.
Similarly, he said a development journalist must not only report the commissioning of a hospital, but must investigate whether there are doctors, nurses, drugs, electricity, affordability and real benefits to the people.
The former Nigerian Tribune journalist and one of the pioneer students of IIJ, Ibadan Campus, recalled his own professional journey, saying he enrolled at the institute in 1997 despite already holding a degree in History and pursuing a Master’s degree.
He said the experience taught him that writing and journalism are related but not the same, stressing that professional training remains the dividing line between ordinary writing and responsible journalism.
Ojo-Lanre narrated how, during a professional registration exercise by the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Oyo State, he was told that despite being a fine writer and media practitioner, he was not qualified to be registered as a professional journalist because he had not received formal journalism training.
He said the humbling encounter pushed him to seek admission into IIJ, where he submitted himself to professional training and discipline.
“That experience taught me a lesson I will never forget. A writer may impress, but a journalist must verify. A writer may entertain, but a journalist must inform. A writer may provoke, but a journalist must be responsible. A writer may depend on flair, but a journalist must depend on facts, fairness, ethics, balance and public interest,” he said.
He congratulated the matriculating students for choosing to pass through the furnace and rigour of professional journalism training, noting that their admission into IIJ marked the beginning of their transformation from ordinary writers, commentators, social media enthusiasts and public analysts into trained and certificated journalists.
Ojo-Lanre said the ability to speak good English or write beautifully does not automatically make anyone a journalist, just as fluency in legal language does not make anyone a lawyer without passing through the discipline of legal training and Law School.
He noted that influence, social media followership and visibility should never be mistaken for professional competence.
He said, “A phone is not a newsroom. A phone is only a tool. A phone does not teach ethics. It does not teach balance. It does not teach verification. It does not teach media law. It does not teach fairness. It does not teach public interest. That is why professional training is important.”
He further explained that development journalism is not propaganda, public relations, advertorial, paid praise or government bulletin, adding that a true development journalist must be able to commend good policies and also expose failed projects.
According to him, the development journalist is neither an enemy of government nor a servant of government, but a servant of society.
Ojo-Lanre also urged students interested in society journalism, social pages, entertainment, lifestyle and celebrity reporting to inject development consciousness into their work.
He said society journalism should not be reduced to gossip, glamour and listing of dignitaries at ceremonies, but should explore culture, philanthropy, creative economy, employment, social values, tourism, fashion, local enterprise and community impact.
He noted that the society journalist who reports a festival should go beyond colour and celebration by asking how the event promotes tourism, preserves heritage, empowers youths, attracts visitors, boosts local businesses and strengthens identity.
Ojo-Lanre distinguished development journalism from other genres, including adversarial, critical, constructive, subjective journalism and advertorial.
He explained that while adversarial journalism challenges power and exposes wrongdoing, development journalism focuses on public progress and impact; while critical journalism questions policies and performance, development journalism ties its criticism to improvement; while constructive journalism seeks solutions, development journalism grounds such solutions in development outcomes.
He warned the students to avoid careless subjectivity, propaganda and malicious reporting, saying the best journalist must be curious but not careless, bold but not reckless, critical but not destructive, constructive but not sycophantic, passionate but not subjective, and patriotic but not propagandistic.
He said Nigeria does not merely need journalists who can shout, accuse, write or post, but journalists who can see, investigate, understand and interpret society for the benefit of the people.
In his conclusion, Ojo-Lanre told the students that IIJ was not merely admitting them into a programme of study, but welcoming them into a discipline, a tradition and a responsibility.
He said, “The phone may give you access to publish, but IIJ must give you the wisdom to know what deserves publication. The phone may give you speed, but IIJ must give you accuracy. The phone may give you visibility, but IIJ must give you credibility. The phone may give you followers, but IIJ must give you professional character.”
He charged the students to respect their lecturers, read beyond their notes, understand media law, master ethics, build their language, sharpen their curiosity, learn research, respect facts, listen to the people, visit communities, ask questions and verify everything.
Ojo-Lanre urged them not to come into journalism merely to be popular, trend or post, but to be useful, build trust and serve society.
He said development journalism remains the responsible pathway for rookie journalists in the age of phone journalism, and described IIJ as one of the right furnaces where responsible journalists must be formed.
He congratulated the matriculating students and welcomed them to what he called “the noble burden, the sacred discipline and the public trust of journalism.”
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