TheCable

Adejumo Kabir, a final year student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has unveiled a handbook for “best practices of campus journalism”.

Dapo Olorunyomi, publisher of Premium Times, wrote the foreword to the book entitled “Campus Journalism: Beginners’ Handbook”.

According to Kabir, the book seeks to guide student journalists in reporting activities on their various campuses.

He said the handbook focuses on the core elements, ethics, challenges and prospects of campus journalism.

“Journalism has opened my eyes to what it means to be cheated or denied basic needs by authorities. Having understood all these, I consider this handbook necessary for newbie student journalists,” he said.

Kabir said the lack of appropriate curriculum to help campus journalists fit into mainstream journalism motivated him to write the book, which he believes would guide campus journalists on ways to hold authorities accountable.

Kabir’s guide for campus journalist

“From my observation, many institutions lack the required tools to teach students practical skills that will help them journalistically and students end up graduating without practical knowledge to succeed when employed by media organizations. The handbook will help fill this gap,” he said.

“The handbook will be available across Nigerian institutions and I am certain that readers of this handbook will be the next phase of journalism in their respective schools.”

Kabir, a freelance journalist, has a number of investigative journalism awards to his name at both national and international level.

He was a finalist at the 2018 Africa Check Awards (student category) in South Africa.

Earlier this year, he launched Campus Press Hub, an initiative offering training and consultancy services on best practices of campus journalism to students across Nigerian institutions.