Veteran Journalist Tasks Journalists To Practice Developmental Journalism

Practicing journalists have been challenged to report events that will address developmental issues aimed at transforming the society.

A media expert Mr. Alfred Akwe threw the challenge during a two day training for reporters of News and Current Affairs Department of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service.

A day after declaring the staff training of Nasarawa Broadcasting service open, the technical sessions are on at different departments which is expected to last for one month and at the News and Current Affairs Department, reporters are being drilled on modern technicalities of news reporting.

Underscoring the pivotal role the media play in the society in awareness creation, one of the resource persons during the training, Alfred Akwe charged journalist to be proactive in reporting events that will address fundamental issues and engender societal growth.

Mr Alfred Akwe identified creativity and communication skills as the basis for good reportage and enjoined journalists to be professional in conduct and develop themselves with qualitative skills that will enhance productivity in the journalism profession.

He pointed out that a good reporter is a critical minded person who always nose for news by identifying news ideas that are captivating and emphasized that journalists must adopt and always apply the use of 5Ws and H and the inverted pyramid style in writing news reports for captivating headlines and proficiency.

In his presentation, General Manager,Politics and Business TV Abuja, Sani Ibn Salihu highlighted some techniques of broadcast news writing where he aligned himself with the rudiments of television production and human angle stories , emphasizing developmental journalism considering the power of the media in shaping public perceptions.

He equally tasked journalists to operate within the ethics of the profession and called on them to have an in-depth knowledge and first hand information about events before reporting them.

In separate interviews, some participants from various departments, described the training as timely and comprehensive and appreciated Nasarawa state government and the management of NBS for the initiative, saying it has broadened their knowledge on modern trend of broadcasting and promised to put the lessons learned into use for improved service delivery.