Nigerian female student journalists have been urged to embrace best practices and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge in order to bridge the gap of females at the management levels in media organisations.
The call was made at an event organized by the Media Career Development Centre, Lagos, as parts of proogramme to commemorate the 2019 International Women’s Day with the theme ‘Balance for Better.’
Speaking at the event, Editor, Social Development News, an online news platform, Mrs. Funmi Falobi, who advocated for more women in management level in various professions charged the students to seek knowledge that would help them in their media career.
According to her, men seek for knowledge, conduct research to back up their reports and also ask questions most of the time from their colleagues on how to go about a particular report.
She also said the reason men get promoted is that they always get their job done in time.
“Most of the times, we are asked to cover an event as a woman, we just write the story as it is and even get to the office before writing the report.
“Meanwhile, your male colleague who is at the same event had already sent his own story right at the event because he already knows how to edit pictures and send stories through phone. By the time he gets to the office, you find out that his own story has already been planned”.
She added that it is very important for women to be at the top, and this must start from school.
“As a female student journalist, you need to know your onions and bring the same competition mentality to the work place because everybody will be giving the same quota,” she said.
Falobi encouraged women to get information and equip themselves in order to be at the top of their career in the organization, just as men are always found at the top especially in the media.
A research by Journalists for Christ on the status of women in management of media houses in the country showed that only three women are at the top of their career in the print media, while the rest are men.
The audit of 15 national newspapers revealed that only one woman is the female Managing Director of a newspaper in Nigeria in the person of Mrs. Funke Egbemode, MD, New Telegraph Newspaper and the current President, Nigeria Guild of Editors, while the other two women are editors of Saturday and Sunday newspapers.
Female students of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) who were present at the event were encouraged by Falobi to upgrade their skills in order to get to the top as men do through knowledge.
Falobi said women are always marginalised based on the believe that women cannot do difficult tasks.
“As women and female student journalists, we must ensure that we are up to tasks. As someone said, “if men are working 100 percent because we are women, we have to work 120 percent, in order to prove that we can do it”.
What you have done, your qualification will be looked into before you can be promoted, so upgrade yourself to merit a promotion. Don’t stop at acquiring OND, HND rather go for Masters. It is said, “Preparation precedes opportunity”, therefore, get yourself equipped educational, she said.
“It will never be easy but in the midst of challenges you must ensure that you equip yourself to be the best you can be” and “Life is struggle, you continue to struggle and in the midst of that struggle, greatness will come” she added.
There is a place for mentorship, a mentor will direct, and help you to be channel. So, get a mentor. Some of these women that got to the top is because they have a mentor. Some of them had once worked with people who are at the top to run errands and by the time there is an opportunity they were fortunate enough to be called upon.’
By Esther Olaifa
