Passion, innate ability a must, The Guardian editor, tells MTU students

Acting Editor, The Guardian Newspaper Limited, Dr. Paul Onomuakpokpo, has stressed that passion, innate ability and desire are the basic qualities that will launch young writers on a higher pedestal, coupled with a good command of English Language.He said this while addressing students of Mountain Top University (MTU), Ogun State, when they paid a visit to Rutam House, the corporate headquarters of The Guardian in Lagos.

The acting editor, who welcomed the students, after the facility tour, took them through the essentials of newsgathering, as well as the various stages and processes involved in news production.He told them the newsroom is like a factory where all raw materials are processed and transformed into valuable materials.

In all, he emphasised that truth and integrity are essential, if they must advance and be a force to reckon with in the news gathering and dissemination industry.

For the students who were also given an opportunity to ask questions, it was an exciting and worthwhile journey.Hazael Ndaji, a 400-level student of the school, described the experience as interesting, exploratory and one of a kind. “It gave us detailed information about newspaper production.”

Osietutu Esther, a 400-level English department student, said she learnt a lot of new things especially on newsgathering, processing and publication. “This outing has broadened my knowledge of newspaper production even beyond the course of my study. It has also stirred my interest in the field of journalism,” she added.

Another student, Awanwan Akpan, said the experience has not only been enlightening, but educative and that she is already considering being a journalist.

For Chiwonkwu Caleb, “It was an awesome experience, I learnt a lot from the printing press of the company. Now, I know how newspaper is being printed and the colours that newspaper must have. I will also like to be an editor as I prefer reading peoples’ ideas and correcting them.”

A lecturer from the school, Dr. Mariam Anana, who led the students, said the visit would lead to the sustainability of the empowerment given to them in school.

“They have learnt a lot, and their knowledge will be assessed during their final year examination. This is part of their course of study. It is called ‘Introduction to Print Media.’ They have done the theoretical aspect in school, now they are being exposed to the practical aspect.”