NUJ, FMMC Task Journalists On Modern Reportorial Tools/Technologies

“Ai is not perfect enough to replace your originality and creative ingenuity” Ademola Irinyemi, Senior Lecturer, Redeemers University

 

Echoes from the the  training organized  by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Council in conjunction with the Federated Maritime Media Chapel (FMMC), in its bid to strengthen, equip and further enhance the reportorial capacity of it members organised a capacity continue to reverberate in the Nigerian national media space days after the event.

Focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), drone technology, digital reporting, cybersecurity, media ethics and modern communication, media experts and resource persons stressed that journalists must embrace emerging technologies without compromising the fundamental values of journalism.

In his opening remarks, NUJ Lagos State Council Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, said the rapid growth of social media had transformed the way information is produced and consumed, making continuous training essential for journalists. He emphasised the need for accuracy, credibility and responsible reporting in an era increasingly challenged by misinformation and disinformation.

One of the resource persons at the training and senior lecturer at Redeemer’s University, Mr Ademola Irinyemi, was emphatic that irrespective of the many uses and opportunities thrown forth by ai, no  ai tool is  perfect enough to replace human originality and creative ingenuity”

Irinyemi stressed that AI should be considered a tool to assist journalists rather than a replacement for human intelligence, creativity and professional judgment.

The training examined and acknowledged the use/deployment of drones in journalism, security, agriculture, research military/maritime operations even as participants were tasked to explore the technology while remaining conscious of regulatory, security and ethical considerations.

The Nigeria Customs Service, through the mouthpiece of the Tin Can Island Port Command Public Relations Officer, Chief Supritendent of Custom,  CSC, Oscar Ivara, told the packed hall that geospatial and satellite technologies were already being deployed to strengthen surveillance of Nigeria’s land and maritime borders to monitor cargo movements and combat smuggling across Nigeria.

 

Professor Helen Adekoya Odunola of Babcock University in her presentation titled Modern Communication Skills, Cyber Security/Building, Editing and Deployment of Artificial Intelligence for Research and Investigative Reporting” declared that digital literacy goes beyond owning smartphones and computers. She urged journalists to develop the ability to critically evaluate information, understand cybersecurity, adapt their writing to digital audiences and use AI professionally with all sense of responsibility.

Dr Jide Johnson, PhD, of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, NIJ, was of the view that the  journalist’s watchdog role must remain intact despite technological advancement. He urged journalists to ask the questions the public would ask, provide context and resist the temptation to sacrifice truth and credibility for patronage, clicks, views and online traffic-insisting that if such considerations become the norm, Journalism would have lost its core value and service to humanity/communities.

Earlier, Chairman of FMMC, Dr Ovie Edomi, PhD, enjoined participants to adapt to modernity, technological development/tools in order to stay relevant and avoid extinction in the journalism profession.

Apart from bringing journalists/media executives up to speed on modern media options/tools, the NUJ/FMMC training would remain a turning point for majority of Maritime Media Journalists in Nigeria.