Entries Tagged 'Media' ↓

The Guardian (Nigeria)
By ‘Labisi Talabi

THERE have been murmurs here and there about the arrest of girls not “properly” dressed on the streets of Lagos. Last week, I read a newspaper report of one of such incidents and I sighed in disgust: “so it’s true!”. The report said one of the ladies claimed to be a University of Lagos student returning home from school. She had her school identity card to show but that didn’t let her off the hook. She was bundled into the waiting police truck with a host of other ladies from all walks of life. Pity I thought to myself. But then again, I can’t really comprehend what her offence was? And what year are we in again, please remind me!

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In my weekly column on critiquing advertising, I touched a raw spot when I took on MTN and Glo, both ‘leading’ telecommunications providers in Nigeria. See the article below (Deceit in Blackberry Ads?). I knew I was probably biting more than I could chew, but somehow, I cared less, until the phone calls began to arrive.
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As a follow up to my earlier post on corruption in the media, I publish a denial by the editor of Thisday on the allegation published by saharareports. It is titled: Thisday newspaper publisher,Nduka Obiagbena refutes Saharareporters story on N3 billion scam
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Almost everything you see on the pages of the average Nigerian newspaper is paid for.

That front page photograph has been paid for, and it is not prominently placed because of its news value. That item disguised as a news story is actually a modified press release. What is worse, the journalists who write them as such nitwits that they are even unable to disguise this fact! Journalism is a poorly paid profession, especially in an African country. It is as ‘unfortunate’ as that of a teacher, a profession many arrive at by ‘mistake’: “I’m here only for a while”, they all seem to say. As such there is no true love for the profession, that is useful only as far as being a source of livelihood. Some media employers contribute to this “brown-envelope” syndrome (a term used in Nigeria because bribe money is delivered inside brown envelopes, whose color masks the content), by refusing to pay their workers well.
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I write for a living. Sometimes people don’t like what I write, especially when I criticize them. My main job is making critique of some in the media, and since you’re dealing with people who spend in the millions and dine with kings, criticism from a “minion” is not kindly looked upon. It hurts, but you don’t believe enough until you’re ready to take pain. And so I smile and go on.
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