CJID Trains 50 University of Lagos Students in Journalism Workshop

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has successfully equipped 50 students with essential journalism skills through its recently concluded 45th Campus Journalism Clinic at the University of Lagos. 

The two-day intensive workshop, held from June 2 to June 3, brought together journalism enthusiasts from various faculties, alongside selected members of the university’s press club.

The training covered critical areas of journalism, including ethics, news reporting fundamentals, source mapping, broadcast journalism, multimedia integration, gender-sensitive reporting, investigative techniques, and fact-checking. These essential topics were delivered in sessions facilitated by seasoned professionals from The Cable, Dubawa, and CJID.

The facilitators included Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director of Journalism Programme at CJID; Kabir Adejumo, Head of Southern Operations at HumAngle; Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Fact Checker at Dubawa; Wemimo Adewuni, a Communications Specialist; Victor Ejechi, Data Journalist at The Cable; and Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff, Project Officer for the Campus Reporter project.

In her introductory remarks, Mrs. Ajibola provided an overview of Campus Reporter and CJID programmes. Supporting her remarks, Ms. Dele-Yusuff emphasised the career opportunities available through the Campus Reporter platform, urging participants to fully engage with each session, as it would benefit those pursuing journalism careers.

The training officially began with Mrs. Ajibola’s comprehensive session on Understanding Journalism Ethics. She explained the core elements of journalism and emphasised the crucial difference between journalists and content creators. “The first tool a journalist has is their voice,” she told participants, encouraging them to creatively tell stories while upholding professional ethics.

Mr. Adejumo followed with an interactive session on Fundamentals of News Reporting: Generating Story Ideas and Source Mapping Strategies. Using practical examples, he demonstrated core elements of news reporting techniques, approaches to generating story ideas, and strategies for identifying and engaging sources. He also highlighted the importance of the fundamental “5 W’s and H” framework in story development.

The training continued with Ms. Ogunbamowo’s Introduction to Fact-Checking session, followed by Mr. Adejumo’s return to discuss Investigative Reporting Essentials: Strategic Interviewing Techniques and Professional Tools. The first day concluded with a practical session on generating story ideas.

The second day of the training began with an engaging discussion led by Mrs. Ajibola on Gender-Sensitive Reporting and Telling Inclusive Stories. In this session, Mrs. Ajibola explained the difference between sex and gender and discussed appropriate sourcing strategies suitable for different story topics.

The training continued with a session on broadcast journalism, facilitated by Ms. Adewuni, who took participants through the complete broadcast process–from research to on-air presentation. She discussed how broadcasters humanise stories and deliver real-time information to audiences. 

The day progressed with sessions on Data-Driven Storytelling: Sourcing, Analysis, and Visualisation Techniques and Multimedia Tools and Skills for Mobile Journalism.

Wrapping up the workshop, Ms. Dele-Yusuff discussed how Campus Reporter serves as a platform for committed young journalists. She encouraged participants to actively engage with the platform, follow its social media presence, and submit stories for editorial review and potential publication on the Campus Reporter website.

Certificates of participation were awarded to participants who expressed their appreciation for the training, saying that it offered them a valuable platform to gain journalism knowledge. 

“I always wanted to do anything that involved mass communication because I didn’t get into Mass Communication, so when I saw the link for this training, I grabbed it and prayed that I would be chosen,” said Quadri, expressing his excitement about being selected and gratitude to the facilitators.

Praising the programme’s comprehensive curriculum, another participant noted that she “didn’t expect the training to be this in-depth and insightful.” 

The training reinforces CJID’s commitment to developing the next generation of African journalists through practical, hands-on learning experiences.

Founded in 2014, CJID continues its mission of promoting media innovation, independent journalism, and accountability across West Africa. The Campus Reporter project remains a cornerstone of this mission, providing aspiring journalists with the skills, knowledge, and platform necessary to contribute meaningfully to the media landscape. Since its inception in 2017, the Campus Reporter project of the organisation has reached over 4,000 students across 45 institutions throughout West Africa.