The Journalist You Ought To Be: A book for all newsmen

Author: Lekan Otufodunrin
Forward: Femi Adesina
Reviewer: Charles Okogene
Punisher: VICAB Rserource Services Limited

The Journalist You Ought To Be, is, according to the sub-title, a step-by-step principles and opportunities in media career development for journalists, old or new, or if you like, call it manual/dictionary of dos and don’t that a journalists, who plan to go far in the profession must adhere to.

Book cover

Thankfully, it is just a 180-page literature written in the simplest language that anybody that has spent six years in the four walls of a school can read and understand.

With a forward from Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari (Media and Publicity), the book that is dedicated to all journalists, is also beautifully produced/printed and free of errors.

It opens in chapter one by telling us what to do if is our desire to become a professional journalist and from there, like the sub-title said,  took us step by step into the journey of what we ought to do to become an accomplished professional.

The author who is an accomplished mentor, teacher, public speaker and presently the executive director/CEO of Media Career Development Network, was until December 2019, the Online Editor for the Nation Newspapers and had also worked as news editor at The Punch among others; he devoted chapters upon chapters telling us, among other things, why for instance, we must dress well for an event/occasion (after all, you are addressed the way you dress), why we must not wait for our employers to provide us all the tools we need to stand out in the job and why we must avail ourselves of the opportunity of self development and the kind of editors, reporters admire et al.

He also drew from the remarks/experiences of time tested foreign journalists and the four way creed of Rotary International, which he says is in agreement with the ethics of journalism profession to nail his points.

Again, the good thing about the book is that it is not just about personal experiences/theories, it also contains chapters of testimonies/attestations by young journalists (interns) that the author had mentored for good and his kind words about people  like Ms. Joke Kujenya, the late Aramide Oikolome and others who have played positive role(s) in making cub reporters the journalists they ought to be.

The Journalist You Ought To Be is a must read and highly recommended for those who want to stand out in the profession.