Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris has urged writers, columnists, and authors in the media industry to pay more attention to the commercial side of writing so that they can benefit from their enormous creativity.
The minister gave this advice on Wednesday in Abuja during his remarks at the unveiling of a book entitled, Writing for Media and Monetising It, authored by Azu Ishiekwene, a writer, editor, administrator, publisher and the editor-in-chief of LEADERSHIP Group Ltd, publisher of LEADERSHIP newspapers.
The information minister said: “Indeed, the way Azu has creatively deployed the Internet for this new book is a testament to how well he has kept up with changing times and technologies, as well as solid proof of why anyone interested in the commercial side of writing should be paying serious attention to him.”
Idris described the book as “a very valuable book that seeks to close the critical gap between practice and entrepreneurship in the media industry. It is also a book that will benefit a very wide range of readers, young and old, freelance or full time.”
The minister noted that the author has earned himself a reputation as a man of many parts in the industry.
“He (Azu) has led large media organisations, has been active in industry bodies, at home and abroad, has been a founder, judged prestigious media competitions, and taught and trained generations of young practitioners.
“Amidst all of these, one fact cannot be missed: that at his very core Azu sees himself as a writer, a man whose primary calling and first love is putting pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, and shaping public discourse in the most insightful and illuminating of ways,” he said.
Idris used the opportunity to reaffirm President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to having free and responsible journalism to promote democracy, adding that the Nigerian society can only flourish when its media organs are free to report the truth without fear of retribution and to hold those in authority accountable equally.
However, he warned and urged media practitioners against irresponsibility, saying, “As we champion the cause of a free press, it is incumbent on the media to exercise this freedom with a sense of duty, ethics, and patriotism. The information disseminated to the public must be accurate, balanced, and devoid of sensationalism.
“The role of the media in shaping public opinion and promoting national unity cannot be overstated. We must all strive to ensure that this role is played with the utmost responsibility while we work closely to advance the course of good governance in our country.”
It will propel writers out of penury – Nda-Isaiah
On her part, the chairman of LEADERSHIP Group Limited, Mrs Zainab Nda-Isaiah, said the book Writing for Media and Monetising It will propel writers out of obscurity and penury to a place of at least making a decent living and getting the well-deserved recognition that every person good at what they do ought to get in their working life.
She said the author had shared insight, experience, and real-life accounts personally and from renowned personalities in the industry to enable writers to see the money side of their trade and work to acquire it.
According to the LEADERSHIP chairman, Ishiekwene has also been honing his craft, writing articles that educate, inform, and entertain on various and diverse topics. She expressed the media group’s appreciation of his work.
Abati Hails Ishiekwene’s Latest Publication
Former spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan and Arise TV Anchor, Dr. Reuben Abati, has hailed Writing for the Media and Monetising It, the latest publication of LEADERSHIP Newspaper’s senior vice chairman, Azu Ishiekwene, describing it as a training manual for young and prospective journalists, and a refresher manual for the veteran media men.
Abati, who reviewed the publication at its official launch in Abuja Wednesday, said it provides the much-needed linkage between the town and gown and the transition between schools and the world of media practice.
According to him, such linkage is key in a society like Nigeria, where tertiary institution educators are more often than not experienced professionals in their craft. Thus, they churn out graduates “who are very smart in quoting a long list of (mass communication) theorists but cannot write a successful article. Their teachers do not know any better, having never written a letter to the editor worthy of publication.”
The author’s 35 years of journalism experience, writing prowess and part-time teaching experience, Abati said, qualify him not only as a teacher on the art of writing, but successfully provides the needed linkage between school and media practice.
Abati said: “It does so in two ways. First, it advises the writer journalist in the first 12 chapters on how to find his or her voice, the importance of originality and feedback, how to find a subject and write about it, style, how to find and use sources, how to avoid stepping on the wrong side of the law, and how to manage feedback and trolls in a season that has been marked by the sheer and unavoidable democratisation of the media space, which has turned every citizen into a journalist.
“This book also acquires another significance: it is a standard practice for accomplished journalists to write about and publish even beyond the limitations of the newsroom and document their experiences, observations and reflections in a permanent form.
“It also offers knowledge to both young and older media writers on the workings of their profession in the age of media convergence. At the end of every chapter, there are summaries and a reading list to develop the writer’s literary vocabulary.”