Media entrepreneurs, scholars and stakeholders in the pen-pushing profession converged on Tuesday to drive discussion on survival strategy at the 2024 Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture.
The second annual lecture with the theme: Rapidly Changing Media Landscape: Media Survival Strategies was organized by the Nigerian Guild of Editors with a view to honouring the late veteran journalist and statesman for his contributions to journalism and public service.
Held at Radisson Blu, GRA Ikeja Lagos, the event which was chaired by Prince Sam Amuka, Publisher of Vanguard News, featured keynote address delivered by the Chairman, Thisday and Arise Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena.
In his opening remark, the president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Eze Anaba described Jakande as a man who lived a principled and professionally impactful life.
According to him, the former governor of Lagos devoted his entire professional and political career to advancing the values of liberty and social justice, saying he exemplified the values of honesty, integrity, courage, and fairness.
Obaigbena, while speaking to theme of the event: “Rapidly Changing Media Landscape: Media Survival Strategies,” noted that journalism is under threat with the evolution of Artificial Intelligence. He stressed that journalists are confronted and challenged by AI.
In his words, “The threat we face is AI. But AI is a machine. We have to train and treat AI. Then it will respond. Are we ready for a world that is being changed by artificial intelligence? This is where we face challenges. How do we confront the advantages of AI and use it to promote good journalism, build our brands and ensure that we make our society a better place?” He asked rhetorically.
The keynote speaker however identified survival strategies that must be quickly adopted by players in the industry. According to him, a law that will make intellectual properties to be recognized as an asset must be passed by the government. He said this would enable publishers to raise money against it and create value.
He also tasked the government to pass a law that will mandate those who use published work online either through Google, Facebook, or Instagram to pay for it.
Earlier, Prince Sam Amuka who was the chairman of the occasion disclosed that the time was changing and the media should move with development in the digital space.
Amuka who stated this while giving his keynote address lamented the rapid erosion of traditional journalism as a result of technologies, advised his colleagues in the industry to sustain the tradition of print media.
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris who was represented by the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Alhaji Ali Mohammed Ali, said Nigeria was going through a tough time and commended the professionalism of the media in reporting delicate issues.
Similarly speaking at the event, the Senior Spokesperson to the president, Tunde Rahman, revealed that the media landscape has changed tremendously with the advent of social media. He said this has really affected the newspapers and magazines publications.
In his view, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwanchukwu who eulogized the virtues of late Jakande tasked publishers to be courageous in their news dissemination and always fact-check whatever they publish irrespective of the challenges imposed by new media.
Also contributing to the discourse, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso charged Journalists to harness the potential of Artificial Intelligence in advancing the media profession, insisting that the technology has come to stay.
The public lecture featured a panel discussion with consummate editors and media executives sharing insights on how practitioners can navigate the current media landscape.
The Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture serves as a platform for reflecting on the media’s role in society and charting a course for the future of journalism in Nigeria and beyond.
The lecture was instituted in 2023 as part of efforts by the NGE to honour and celebrate the late Jakande who was the pioneer president of the Guild.
Two years down the lane, the event has continued to offer opportunity for stakeholders to interrogate issues affecting the media sector.
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