Good journalism in Nigeria requires a healthy business model that most media houses do not have. It also requires a dedication to truth-telling that could cost you your life.
In the end, someone has to fund all journalistic activity, at least the serious ones. It is therefore important to find a working economic model. Otherwise, we will continue to have poorly paid/equipped journalists who create bad/incorrect/skewered/distasteful/half-cooked journalism in the hope of getting pittance from both their employees and those that sponsor their skewered writings. I have been lucky to work with good media organizations, but only one of them paid well enough to interest the ambitious me, and even that couldn't hold me long enough.
I do not blame journalists, media owners or anyone. But I think they all must come together to realize this is a business and find ways to make it work.
This was a great read David, I can only imagine the true depth of difficulty that fellows in journalism face when trying to report the stories that matter.
It’s a thing when functions where high ideals like journalism are required have to deal and navigate those ideals in the waters of economics. Not to even speak of political waters.
Though I think the internet with the zero marginal cost and zero distribution costs can offer some succor and spin sustainable business models.
Thank you for reading. I wouldn’t say they failed, not completely at least. I think they’ve both showed us what is possible in terms of quality journalism and how far we are ready to push the pin. I think they both suffered heavily from poor business management decisions and perhaps that was the biggest contribution to their shutdown. Would be interesting to do a case study on NN24.
I can help you with some insights with NN24, if you choose to go that route. And you’re right, they didn’t entirely fail. Premium Times seems to continue the vision and quite a number of former 234Next staff are doing ambitious things on other platforms. Same for NN24. Channels and TVC have become primary beneficiaries of the investment that went into talent development, I guess that’s some kind of success, at least for the industry.
Correct. The investment in talent development and the precedence they set are some forms of success, I’d say. I’d be happy to discuss NN24. Please shoot me an email and we can talk: hello@davidadeleke.com.
In the end, someone has to fund all journalistic activity, at least the serious ones. It is therefore important to find a working economic model. Otherwise, we will continue to have poorly paid/equipped journalists who create bad/incorrect/skewered/distasteful/half-cooked journalism in the hope of getting pittance from both their employees and those that sponsor their skewered writings. I have been lucky to work with good media organizations, but only one of them paid well enough to interest the ambitious me, and even that couldn't hold me long enough.
I do not blame journalists, media owners or anyone. But I think they all must come together to realize this is a business and find ways to make it work.
This was a great read David, I can only imagine the true depth of difficulty that fellows in journalism face when trying to report the stories that matter.
This is good stuff. Words fail me as I read through my life and that of some colleagues in this piece.
So sorry you’ve had to go through this. It’s really so hard sustaining a career in journalism in Nigeria.
It’s a thing when functions where high ideals like journalism are required have to deal and navigate those ideals in the waters of economics. Not to even speak of political waters.
Though I think the internet with the zero marginal cost and zero distribution costs can offer some succor and spin sustainable business models.
Thanks David.
Amazing write-up. Truly, journalism in Nigeria stands the risk of being called a joke.
Good stuff. 234Next’s story pretty much mirrors NN24’s. Both too a bold, audacious approach to journalism and both failed to live up to the promise.
Thank you for reading. I wouldn’t say they failed, not completely at least. I think they’ve both showed us what is possible in terms of quality journalism and how far we are ready to push the pin. I think they both suffered heavily from poor business management decisions and perhaps that was the biggest contribution to their shutdown. Would be interesting to do a case study on NN24.
I can help you with some insights with NN24, if you choose to go that route. And you’re right, they didn’t entirely fail. Premium Times seems to continue the vision and quite a number of former 234Next staff are doing ambitious things on other platforms. Same for NN24. Channels and TVC have become primary beneficiaries of the investment that went into talent development, I guess that’s some kind of success, at least for the industry.
Correct. The investment in talent development and the precedence they set are some forms of success, I’d say. I’d be happy to discuss NN24. Please shoot me an email and we can talk: hello@davidadeleke.com.