By Correspondent in Lokoja
An expert on converging media, Baba Aminu, has urged media practitioners in the country to update their media skills with the current way the media is converging.
He gave the advice while peaking at a 3-day Workshop on Critical Media Practice, themed: “The Convergence Journalism” at Dangote Cement plant, Obajana Lokoja-Kabba, Road, Kogi State on Thursday.
Aminu, a resource person at the occasion, described converging media as a revolutionary and evolutionary form of journalism, emerging in many parts of the world as it transforms news, faster content, adding that media practitioners keeping abreast of the concept could not be overemphasized.
According to him, in view of the reality of global trend and dynamism in the media world, media professionals needed to extend their skills beyond their current state, reminding them of the essence of updating their skills to do their work effectively in meeting the demand of global best practices.
He also stressed the need for Journalists to key into the three types of convergence journalism, such as technological convergence( digital form of technology), Economic convergence (allowing company to use new media to advertise goods and services and cultural convergence.
According to the resource person, hackers are feeding fat on their unsuspecting victims because of lack 3 types of convergent media practises in the country.
In his address of welcome, the Dangote Cement plant training coordinator, Ayinde Olaide, said the workshop was meant to avail Journalists with the necessary knowledge to improve their productivity and in coping with emerging media convergence, in line with the world best practises,as media practitioners.
In his contribution to the workshop,organised by Dangote Group in collaboration with Folio Media Group for Journalists in the North-Central states of Nigeria, Fidelis Anosike also advised media practitioners to leverage on the new evolving trends and innovative journalistic skills to enhance their performance and connectivity with their audience.
According to the lecturer, the workshop was targeted at improving reporting skills of journalists in the emerging digital world.
Anosike, Executive Director of Folio Media, Creative Academy (FMCA) disclosed that it had become pertinent for newsmen to adapt to the changing global media landscape, noting that journalists could not afford to be left behind in the emerging media space.
The lecturer expressed optimism that the workshop would provide platform for media practitioners to sharpen their skills in readiness for more effective service delivery.
Our Correspondent reports that in a course with the theme, “Convergence Journalism”, presented by a renowned journalist and former Editor of the Daily Trust (Saturday Edition), Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, participants learned much about Media Convergence, Importance of Media convergence, Skills Upgrading, Challenges of Journalism in the Convergent era, System Thinking in Journalism and shifting paradigm.
According to Anini, one of the main reasons for media convergence is the transition of virtually all media from the old order to digital technology, noting that the advent of the digital revolution therefore means that all platforms of communication can be fused into a single format.
The lecturer explained that it was the reason why traditional forms of media are converging toward the Web.
He pointed out that Convergence was most notable on the Web where a news site may have stories in multiple formats, along with blogs, polling, entertainment, and fashion.
Aminu emphasised the need for journalists to therefore think multimedia and plan ahead for modifying content across different platforms, insisting that
Convergence requires a new mindset for newsmen.
He further advised journalists to key-in into the new trends to broaden their horizon in the new communication service and take advantage of the opportunities it presents.
Some participants who are drawn from cross-section of the media, including the Print, Broadcast and Digital media, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the papers.
According to them, journalists can still be effective in their desired field while understanding and taking advantage of changes in the media landscape without losing the audience.
They,however, commended the Dangote Group for providing them with the platform to upgrade their skills which will in turn redefine and reposition them for more competitive engagements.
High point of the opening ceremony was a tour of some sections of the facility, through the Assembly Plant to the Power Plant.
The workshop which has other Course themes, such as, Social Media Journalism, and Public Relations and Advertising, is expected to end on Friday, July 7, 2021.
