By Blessing Bello, Reporting
THE Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, has issued a stern warning to newly admitted students of the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Ekiti State Campus, urging them to resist the temptation of becoming “untrained citizen reporters” and instead embrace development journalism as a responsible professional path.
Speaking at the institute’s matriculation ceremony in Ado-Ekiti, Ojo-Lanre delivered a lecture titled “Development Journalism: The Responsible Pathway for Rookie Journalists in the Age of Phone Journalism,” where he described the mobile phone as both a blessing and a danger to the truth.
He argued that the rise of citizen journalism has led to a chaotic media environment where anyone with a smartphone and a data bundle can post, accuse, or mislead under the guise of journalism.
“The mobile phone has democratised access to publication, but it has also opened the public space to reckless posting, fake news, blackmail, propaganda, rumours, and unethical communication,” he said.
Ojo-Lanre, a former Nigerian Tribune journalist and one of the pioneer students of IIJ Ibadan, reminded the matriculants that professional training remains the dividing line between ordinary writing and responsible journalism.
Recalling his own experience with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oyo State, he narrated how he was once told he was not qualified for professional registration despite being a fine writer.
“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,” he said.
He charged the students to embrace development journalism—which he defined as journalism with depth, context, conscience, and public purpose—arguing that it focuses on the welfare of the people and the transformation of society.
He explained that a development journalist must go beyond surface reporting to ask deeper questions about policies, projects, and public programmes.
“A development journalist must not merely report that a road has been built. They must ask who will use it, how it will affect farmers and traders, and whether there is a maintenance plan.
Similarly, reporting the commissioning of a hospital without investigating whether there are doctors, drugs, or electricity is simply not enough,” he said.
Ojo-Lanre also cautioned against conflating influence or social media followership with professional competence, declaring emphatically: “A phone is not a newsroom. A phone is only a tool. It does not teach ethics, balance, verification, media law, or public interest. That is why professional training is important.”
He urged students interested in society journalism, entertainment, and lifestyle reporting to inject development consciousness into their work, adding that society journalism should not be reduced to gossip and glamour.
“The society journalist who reports a festival should go beyond colour and celebration by asking how the event promotes tourism, preserves heritage, empowers youths, and boosts local businesses,” he said.
Concluding his address, Ojo-Lanre told the newly admitted students that the IIJ was not merely admitting them into a programme of study but welcoming them into a discipline, a tradition, and a responsibility.
“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,” he said.
He charged them to respect their lecturers, master media law, verify everything, and serve society with integrity.
“Do not come into journalism merely to be popular, to trend, or to post,” he warned. “Come to be useful, to build trust, and to serve society. Development journalism remains the responsible pathway for rookie journalists in the age of phone journalism.”
What's your reaction?
