Embrace reading culture for effective media practice – Journalist advises UNIZIK Students
By Nwakelundu Perpetual Amarachi
The Students of Mass communication department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, were Thursday, told to embrace reading culture to enhance their media practice.
The message was conveyed to the students, during an online lecture on ‘Self Building for Effective Journalism,’ anchored by a guest lecturer and a member of the Odogwu Media Communications, Mr. Lawrence Nwimo.
The online lecture was a forum convened by Odogwu Media Communications, publishers of www.odogwublog.com to build the students of the institutions on news writing and reporting.
While the lecturer drew a roadmap for an effective input in the journalism profession, he said the best way to prepare oneself to make meaningful impact in journalism is by developing good reading culture.
According to him, effective communication skill is a vital tool in journalism because it is the most usable in situations of investigations, interactions and interviews. He said such could be cultivated through constant reading.
Using the phrase, “Know what you don’t know and prepare to conquer your weakness,” the lecturer advised the students to devote their time and resources to reading information materials, including news stories on newspapers and blogs to build skills to surmount the many challenges as may arise in the course of their practice.
The lecturer decried the dying zeal and carefree attitude students, especially in mass communication department, exhibit in reading information material and sources, which he said, should be capable of informing them on the current trend in their profession.
While he disclosed qualities of a journalist as being an avid reader of news and information materials, he said, “a journalist is sound if he is able overcome challenges of familiarity with technical jargons of different professions and able to dish out information from a range of human disciplines.”
He also noted that special skills in journalism such as investigation and interviews could be acquired by constant reading of investigative and interview materials, stressing that investigation is improved with willingness to verify, location visitation as well as asking of probing questions.
To solve the problem of news ideas, the lecturer hinted that seasoned journalists do not rely on fresh ideas on the spot all the time but takes active efforts to get untold or unseen events. He mentioned that tracking of reports, dates and events as well as receiving press release or simply reading of the papers can be helpful in finding news reports
In their separate remarks, the students expressed gratitude to the lecturer and the convener, Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, of Mass Communication Department of the institution, for his untiring zeal at giving the students the appropriate platform and foundation to excel in the journalism profession.
