By Emma Njoku
The Nigerian media has been told to brace up for the challenges posed by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in information distribution.
Publisher, ThisDay Newspapers and Chairman, Arise Television, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, made the call yesterday, at the second Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture in Lagos. The theme was: “Rapidly changing media landscape: Survival strategies”
Obaigbena, who was the lead speaker noted that most members of the Guild of Editors were above 40 years but regretted there were no younger ones in the profession to take over from the current generation of journalists. He recalled that the late Alhaji Jakande, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu and most of his contemporaries were in their 20s when they started their journalism practice and made their marks in the industry.
Obaigbena tasked the Federal Government to enact a law that would ensure that intellectual properties of media practitioners are paid for, not minding whether such information is sourced from Google or any other social media platform. He applauded the former governor of old Imo State, General Nwachukwu, who he said once introduced what he described as economic diplomacy when he served as foreign minister, adding that if the policy had continued, Nigeria would have been a better place.
Obeigbena said: “Donald Trump, one of the two candidates vying for the American presidency, has promised to keep part of America’s reserves in the crypto currency. He’s already thinking ahead. Newspapers are only a form of distribution of news; iPhone, computers are also other forms of news distribution. Journalism is under the threat of artificial intelligence. We have to challenge artificial intelligence, but are we ready to confront it? We can also use artificial intelligence to cure diseases and promote education and journalism to make our society a better place.
“We are in a country where the young are more than the old. We need to create jobs for the youths. We are in an era where intellectual property is an asset. We need to promote education and good governance in readiness for the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.”
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion and Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka, had decried the high cost of newsprints and other materials needed for newspaper publication.
Other speakers emphasised on the need to sustain newspaper hard copies on the streets, especially with the obvious threats being posed by the emergence of artificial intelligence technology.
Mr. Tunde Obe emphasised the need for journalists to think out of the box and come up with ideas and contents that interest the youths. He described news as “a commodity that becomes dead once it breaks.” He advocated a return to the era of entertainment and soft sell magazines and newspapers, which, according to him, are what the current generation craves for. He said what the media should focus on is how to convert the trust of the audience to money, which the media industry needs to survive.
Earlier, General Nwachukwu applauded the achievements of the late Jakande in the areas of journalism and governance and called on the Nigerian media to remain “courageous in reporting the wrongs our leaders have done to the people.”
Other eminent personalities who spoke at the event included the Minister of Information, represented by the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Alhaji Ali .M. Ali, former information minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka, Mr. Tunde Rahman, former president of the Guild of Editor and former commissioner of information in Osun State, Mrs Funke Egbemode, former MD, The Sun Publishing Ltd and former commissioner of information, Anambra State, Chief Tony Onyima, among others.