From Taraba to Oxford: A Journalist's Fight for Change

 

 

My name is Samuel Thomas, and I am a journalist currently serving as an editor and producer at the Taraba State Broadcasting Service, TSBS Jalingo. With over five years of experience, my work primarily revolves around environmental and health-related topics. In my capacity as an editor, I have been extensively involved in writing and collaborating with reporters to develop stories focusing on health issues. Additionally, I produce a weekly programme that specifically addresses the impact of climate change and explores potential strategies for mitigation. Over the years, I have been passionate about journalism fellowships and have applied for a handful of them until last year, when I saw an advertisement from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. I went through the guidelines and discovered I was legible. At first, I was skeptical about it because it was a global thing, and I was not sure my contribution to the small world would count. But I later made up my mind to apply, and today is history.

Tell us more about the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

The Reuters Institute has been in existence for over four decades and is, in fact, one of the most-rated journalism institutes across the world. The institute is not a profit-making organization, so the funding to run the institute comes mostly from NGOs, especially the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Though independent, Reuters is affiliated with the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, UK. The goal of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is to explore the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement, and research. It is a globally focused research centre at the University of Oxford, dedicated to tracking the world's media, its trends, developments, and forecasts. The institute aims to connect rigorous academic research with journalistic practice, linking rigorous analysis with practical experience. It works to bridge daily journalism and academic study by regularly holding seminars and events and maintaining an extensive publication program.

What are you currently working on at the institute?

 My project here is on the media coverage of the farmer-herder crisis in northeast Nigeria. What drove me to that area was. Firstly, I was a victim of the farmer-herder crisis many times while growing up as a child, and it even lasted into adulthood. I saw the impact, and I can say that it is not something that one would wish to see happen again. Secondly, as a journalist, I have covered countless crisis-related stories in Taraba State, and lastly, I realised that despite its persistence, not much has been achieved in addressing it. I hope to carry out my research on the causes and possible solutions that, if implemented, would reduce the constant clashes to the barest minimum.

What do you hope to achieve with your project?

 The project seeks to look at the human impact of the farmer-herder crisis because, most times, the victims are left alone to pick up the pieces of their lives on their own. I hope the project will draw the attention of policymakers to taking proactive measures to reduce the impact of the crisis. It will also investigate how the media reports such crises and, lastly, bring to the public the devastating impact of the crisis.

You are currently at Reuters; how can you describe your experience?

Reuters is an amazing place to be. It is an institute that houses people of different backgrounds who are professionals and passionate about making positive change. The programme is unique in such a way that fellows learn from each other through the sharing of personal stories and how their newsrooms operate. Within my four weeks of stay, I have learned so much about Japan, China, Poland, Argentina, and Burkina Faso, not even the host country, the United Kingdom. With this diverse knowledge, I have first-hand information about what separates us and what unites us as humans.

 What can you say about the impact of the Reuters Institute on journalists globally?

 Let me start by saying that human resources are the greatest investment of all time. The institute understood this, which is why it has continued to invest in training journalists to do their jobs better. I can also say that Reuters has been and is still a voice in the global space. Their cutting-edge research on the future of journalists and constant calls for press freedom have strategically placed them as the backbone of journalists.

 What is the call to journalists in Nigeria?

My message to journalists in Nigeria is that it is high time we begin to think about how we can be multidimensional in our professional lives. The fast growth in technology and social media are threats, so to survive this, we need to leverage the available technology to be at the top.