Students of Mass Communication have been urged to embrace new media if they are to make headway in pursuing in their career.
Managing Editor, Online and Special Publications, the Nation Newspaper, Lekan Otufodunrin, made this call at the annual seminar to mark part of activities of Mass Communication Students’ Association (MCSA) Week of Babcock University, Tuesday.
Otufodurin who spoke on the topic, Preparing for a Mass Communication Career in a New Media Age, explained that it is not enough to be a scholar of mass communication rather; necessary new media skills have to be garnered to set one apart from others in the job market.
He said; “Media organizations and other employers of communication graduates now give preference to those who are new media savvy not only for social interaction, which was the original purpose of the platforms, but those who know how to apply them for professional requirements.”
He was however quick to say that journalism skills cannot be substituted with being skillful in the use of new media.
According to him, new media was only required to reach a larger audience, adding “If you know how to use the new media and you don’t have the required media skill you are not good enough. If on the other hand you have the required media skill but don’t know how to use the new media, your days of being relevant on the job are numbered.”
The event also saw him engage the students and staff of the department with useful ideas on how to start making preparations towards a successful career in the field.
“You need to realise that you don’t become a mass communication professional when you graduate; you need to start preparing now to be fit for the task ahead, based on what you might have been taught in school and what you have to go out of your way to learn as well,” he advised.
According to him, “You need to begin to experiment with having a professional Facebook page and other social media accounts that can showcase what you are capable of doing as a mass communication student. You should have a blog on any area of your interest, and begin to build followership that will give you an edge in the job market.
“If you want to be a reporter, I want to see what you have written before. If you are a broadcast student, this is the time to begin to have a channel of yours. If your interest lies in advertising and publications, you have to go online and see the changing pattern of in-house communication by organizations.”
Speaking further, Otufodunrin urged the students to begin to work on getting their names recognised in the media world, by writing news stories, opinion articles etc, to editors for publication so as to build their profiles.
Responding to a question by a final year student of the department, Runo Etowe, on Citizen Journalism and Weblogs, The Nation’s managing editor stressed that in as much as some weblogs upload a lot of unverified information, it behoves on media practitioners to show their worth by cross checking and verifying facts to give credibility to such stoties.
The lecture was based on the theme for this year’s activities: ‘Online Journalism and New Media’.
The Mass Communication Students’ Association Week is an annual event in line with the provisions of the university to encourage the various departments to come up with activities that will bring them together, as well as reinforce the importance of their chosen fields.
Managing Editor, Online and Special Publications, the Nation Newspaper, Lekan Otufodunrin, made this call at the annual seminar to mark part of activities of Mass Communication Students’ Association (MCSA) Week of Babcock University, Tuesday.
Otufodurin who spoke on the topic, Preparing for a Mass Communication Career in a New Media Age, explained that it is not enough to be a scholar of mass communication rather; necessary new media skills have to be garnered to set one apart from others in the job market.
He said; “Media organizations and other employers of communication graduates now give preference to those who are new media savvy not only for social interaction, which was the original purpose of the platforms, but those who know how to apply them for professional requirements.”
He was however quick to say that journalism skills cannot be substituted with being skillful in the use of new media.
According to him, new media was only required to reach a larger audience, adding “If you know how to use the new media and you don’t have the required media skill you are not good enough. If on the other hand you have the required media skill but don’t know how to use the new media, your days of being relevant on the job are numbered.”
The event also saw him engage the students and staff of the department with useful ideas on how to start making preparations towards a successful career in the field.
“You need to realise that you don’t become a mass communication professional when you graduate; you need to start preparing now to be fit for the task ahead, based on what you might have been taught in school and what you have to go out of your way to learn as well,” he advised.
According to him, “You need to begin to experiment with having a professional Facebook page and other social media accounts that can showcase what you are capable of doing as a mass communication student. You should have a blog on any area of your interest, and begin to build followership that will give you an edge in the job market.
“If you want to be a reporter, I want to see what you have written before. If you are a broadcast student, this is the time to begin to have a channel of yours. If your interest lies in advertising and publications, you have to go online and see the changing pattern of in-house communication by organizations.”
Speaking further, Otufodunrin urged the students to begin to work on getting their names recognised in the media world, by writing news stories, opinion articles etc, to editors for publication so as to build their profiles.
Responding to a question by a final year student of the department, Runo Etowe, on Citizen Journalism and Weblogs, The Nation’s managing editor stressed that in as much as some weblogs upload a lot of unverified information, it behoves on media practitioners to show their worth by cross checking and verifying facts to give credibility to such stoties.
The lecture was based on the theme for this year’s activities: ‘Online Journalism and New Media’.
The Mass Communication Students’ Association Week is an annual event in line with the provisions of the university to encourage the various departments to come up with activities that will bring them together, as well as reinforce the importance of their chosen fields.
