Experts Charge Campus Journalists to Embrace Professionalism at CJID Campus Journalism Clinic 2026

           John Alabi

 The just concluded 3-day Campus Journalism Clinic organized by Campus Reporter, one of the leading programmes of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), brought together about 40 student Journalists from three prominent universities in Osun State; including the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State University (UNIOSUN), and Fountain University.  

It was a journalism training which ran from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 March, aimed to equip student journalists with practical skills in campus reporting, theoretical knowledge of journalism and ethical reportage. 

The event kicked off on Tuesday morning at the board room of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, with media professionals, and facilitators in attendance to guide and mentor the students, contributing significantly to their professional growth.

Since its inception in 2017, Campus Reporter has engaged with more than 45 universities and groomed several renowned media experts across the print, broadcast, and digital media industries. This achievement reflects the program’s commitment to nurturing a new generation of journalists committed to professional standards, with mentorship and guidance of the CJID.

From Session to Stories: Facilitator Highlights and Students Projects

During his session, Idris Akinbajo, the Managing Editor of Premium Times, delved into the core ethics of journalism and media convergence. He also added that “context is king” which explains how local news can be contextualized to meet global standards and how global news can be framed to reflect local realities to solidify his explanations. 

The second session was facilitated by the Deputy Director of the Journalism Program at CJID,  Busola Ajibola, who used visuals to build participants' understanding of both sex and gender concepts in inclusive reporting. She highlighted the ways media practitioners unconsciously reinforce gender stereotypes, the need for inclusivity and integration of perspectives of persons with Disabilities (PWDs) when telling public interest stories.

Kabir Adejumo, a seasoned Journalist and Senior Researcher at Good Governance Africa, also engaged young journalists  on the basic stages in interviewing and news sourcing, sources verification and key techniques in investigative journalism.

To further underscore the importance of multimedia in journalism, Gbolahan Ogunsolu, a multimedia expert with CJID facilitated sessions on camera angles, and how visual representations can strengthen and enhance journalistic storytelling.

In a virtual session by a data journalist at TheCable, Victor Nkechi, she introduced students to data sourcing, interpretation, and analysis, explaining how data can be used to provide stronger context and numerical depth to reports.

The final Day began with a presentation by Osaruonamen Ibizugbe, the Next Gen Project Officer of CJID, who introduced participants to relevant presentation skills in broadcast media, while emphasizing on podcasting as a conversational storytelling style.

Moreso, Kabir Adejumo further expanded young journalists' understanding of hyper local journalism, by explaining its relevance, methods of practice, and the limitations.

As part of the practical component of the journalism training, participants were divided into 3 newsroom groups assigned to write stories on issues affecting their university environments. The stories were assessed by the facilitators present, the importance of these practical tasks is to facilitate a complete learning experience for the students.

Participants' Reacts

To assess the effectiveness and impact of this 3-days program, young journalists present were interviewed, expressing opinions and sharing divergent takeaways from the session.

 Aderayo from Osun State University, said the training helped her arrive at a realization that Campus Journalism is not limited to campus walls , confirming that storytelling and reporting facts extends beyond campus environment.

"This training has helped me understand that Campus Journalism is not just about reporting events on campuses, but about telling meaningful stories that reflect real societal issues, human emotions and the experience of students." 

She further confirmed her stance to work on incorporating factual reporting in her works and use journalism as a tool to drive positive change in the society.

Samuel Faseyitan from OAU shared a similar sentiment, disclosing that the event is truly an eye-opening experience that delves deeper into different areas of Journalism that he has not fully explored and understood. He further disclosed that he would reflect on his newly acquired knowledge and utilize it in practice.

  Similarly, Olanipekun Fatimo, from Fountain University explained that the program has met her expectations by providing practical guidance on news writing, which she initially has a vague understanding of.  She added that through the feedback sessions and practical exercises, she has learnt how to structure a standard report that meets ethical standards of Journalism.

   Overall, the incorporation of contemporary examples, personal experiences, professional insights and practical newsroom tasks helped participants develop a broader understanding of journalism as a field grounded in ethics, context, and professionalism.