Local newspapers which aspire to remain in circulation, must aspire to innovate, the Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, has warned.
He gave the warning amidst calling on media training institutions to overhaul their journalism curriculum so they could equip their graduates with relevant skills.
Adefaye made the call yesterday while delivering a paper: a paper titled “Training the Next Generation of Journalists for Digital Innovation and Global Impact” at the “Journalism Outlook Conference 2026”.
The conference was organised by Caleb University in collaboration with the NIJ, and held at the university’s Multipurpose Hall in Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Taking cognisance of the changing dynamics of today’s media audience, Adefaye submitted that the journalism curriculum needed to be overhauled to reflect those dynamics, and not rely on old models.
Admitting the imperative of having digital copies rather than just traditional newspapers, he cautioned howver that there is more to that:
“Digital journalism is far bigger than simply migrating newspaper stories onto a website.
“It integrates multimedia storytelling, data journalism, audience engagement, artificial intelligence and analytics directly into the news production process.
“The near-disappearance of the newspaper from the daily menu does not necessarily mean a decline in the consumption of media content. If anything, people probably consume more content today than they ever did.
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“There are now legions of publishers whose only factory is a laptop and a data subscription”, and that “The today’s media professional is expected to play smart and play many roles at once”.
Adefaye described artificial intelligence as the next major frontier in journalism education, arguing that AI should not be treated as an optional addition to existing curricula but integrated into newsroom training and practice. “Artificial intelligence is, without question, the next game in journalism training.”
According to him, “Digital journalism is far bigger than simply migrating newspaper stories onto a website.
“It integrates multimedia storytelling, data journalism, audience engagement, artificial intelligence and analytics directly into the news production process”, he stated.
Earlier, the publisher of Ikorodu-Lagos-based Oriwu Sun community newspaper, Mr Monzor Olowosago narrated to the audience how he was forced to innovate and change his style from an initial sting brand of reporting
The stance, he said, meant he was critical of government and institutions, the very quarters he expected to generate patronage from.
“I was publishing as I was taught, unfortunately, it did not work for me. People started attacking me..i had to change my style”, he narrated.
According to him, any community newspaper publisher desirous of succeeding must first master the dynamics of his environment, in terms of the kind of news that would sell and how to package it.
That understanding, he added, helped me to stay off trouble and also to begin to break even and to make profit.
“I have never written any rejoinder in Oriwu Sun in 41 years, because I understood that it is my meal ticket”, he stated.
A highlight of the conference was a panel session, which responded to practical questions from the audience.
Cami Ezenwa is a Writer, Editor, Publicist, Biographer and Journalism Trainer
He has worked with the Daily Times, Daily Independent, Financial Standard and Business Television to mention some.
His ongoing Corporate Communications Master Class training series equips learners with credible hands-on skills for effective Media Relations, Public Communications & Corporate Affairs amongst others.
He can be contacted via 09165809519 or 08180335778.