Journalists are information hunters

Book Review
Title: Message Makers in Practical Journalism
Author: Tajudeen O. Adigun
Publisher: Emgee Publishing Limited, Ibadan
Pages: 219
Price: Not stated
Reviewer: Ada Dike

 This book, “Message Makers in Practical Journalism,” with illustrative pictures is a step by step will find resourceful on different aspects of news gathering, reporting and publishing in Nigeria and beyond.
Having acquired more than 30 years experience of journalism practice, one is privileged to benefit from Tajudeen O. Adigun’s rich and vast knowledge from this book.
As you read Adigun’s book, the unique power of his style will lure you to complete reading it from cover to cover which reveals that he is the master of practical journalism. While reading it, I didn’t feel like stopping and even re-read the previous chapters because the author employed various techniques of writing to engage the reader in an educative manner.
The book contains thirty three chapters with the following topics: Insight into electronic and print media; Purpose; Biased message; Regulatory agency; Communication; Mass Communication; Propaganda; Master’s voice; News agencies; Proprietorship; Control of mind; Pandering to audience’s taste; The Editor-in-Chief; The Leader; The Editor; Genre of newspaper; News Editor; Handling big stories; The interview; Chief Sub-editor, Production Editor; Graphics; Electronic editing; Internet: Threat to newspapers; Reporter; Types or news; Factors that make news; Quality of a reporter; Source; News writing and its structure; Photo on a page; Taking the shots and Minefield.
Chapter One , aptly titled ‘Insight into electronic and print media’ focuses on how experts take painstaking process to package a newspaper, items of programming (news, music, debate and current affairs) radio or television use in arresting audience attention and how the mass media are designed to satisfy different taste, purposes and group of people.
In Chapter Two, the author discusses ‘Purpose’.  He stresses that, unlike the town criers and drummers, mass media harness gadgets to facilitate communication of intelligence in society. That is why many believe what they read in the newspaper, whether it has three attributes of reporting- objectivity, fairness and balance. Objectivity of mass communication, according to him, gives it a far more profound effect influence on receivers of message than the transient and fleeting case of interpersonal communication due to their sophisticated equipment in delivering messages.
Adigun also unveils the people who gather and disseminate messages ‘journalists’ also known as gatekeepers and media message makers, not forgetting the proprietors who formulate broad policy that provide the frame-work journalists operate with, to achieve objectivity, the law which guides journalists to operate within power, and perception that enables the reader or viewer select what he or she wants to read or watch.
‘Biased Message,’ the title of Chapter Three gives examples of how a message from the media in a country is coined to suit a particular purpose, especially, the owner’s objective. He also cites examples of the way different apostles such as: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter and Timothy gave different account or colours to the same story of Jesus Christ, and adds that it is the way different mass media practitioners slant their stories according to their house-styles, vision and perception, though the stories have similar issues.
Chapter Four –‘Regulatory Agency’ explains that there is no absolute freedom of the Press in any society because there are some laws made to serve as guidelines to control the operation of mass media houses and these laws include: defamation, slander, libel and perhaps, sedition. So consequences of contravening the law attract a legal sanction.  He reveals that in some climes, prohibitive levy, high licence fees, renewal fee, double or triple taxation and high tariff on imported materials like newsprint chemicals, ink, film and so on, can be used by government to checkmate the press. Others are harassment he also mentioned in the book are: arrest, incarceration and killing of journalists which was common during military era.
In Chapter Five, the author discusses ‘Communication’.  He says communication, which is the transfer of information between and among parties is indispensable in any human interaction as well as in the society. He defines communication as the process by which pattern is transmitted from one hand to another and emphasises that “All communication between and among many human beings are mediated.”
In Chapter Six which deals with ‘Mass Communication,’ the author explains the mass media and its importance in disseminating information or message to a large number of people in different places as well as two types of mass media namely the print (books, newspapers and magazines) and electronic (radio, television and internet).
Here, the reader is gripped with details of the importance of people (gatekeeper) who use the technology/devices, equipment or machines to disseminate messages. The reporters, line editors, sub-editors, editors, editor in-chief and the publisher have significant roles to play in shaping the message that will be delivered to the receivers (readers).
Chapter Seven deals with ‘Propaganda,’ explaining that a government or a person or a group that has control of the mass media is at vantage point to use propaganda to their advantage from the promotion of self interest through newspaper, magazine, radio and television, especially, during crisis or war.
‘Master’s Voice,’ the topic for Chapter Eight, just like he keeps mentioning in the previous chapters that ownership of mass media determines the angle of information they disseminate, he cites examples of how government owned media underplay other people’s statements and disseminate their bosses’ views, which is common to state government owned and federal government owned radio and television stations. He describes them as models of their master’s voice and voices of those in power, though run with public funds.
In ‘News Agencies’ the topic for Chapter Nine, he notes that news agencies, whether Western or Eastern Europe, the United States of America (USA) or Africa are para-corporations sponsored and run by governments to induce subscribers, print and electronic media of their services, readers and audience to see the world through the owner –governments’ spectacles. The agencies include: TASS (Russian News Agency), Agence France Presse (AFP), Reuters, Associated Press (AP), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN and so on.
Adigun, from this point takes the reader into Chapter Ten – ‘Proprietorship,’ which sheds light on the ownership of mass media namely, government, group, partnership or individuals.  This is a highly educative and enlightening chapter as it contains a mission for setting up a media such as great benefit or reward in cash or kind or personal interest.
 In Chapter Eleven ‘Control of Mind,’ readers are made to understand that control of the minds of people is the motive for embarking on newspapering. He adds, “The electronic media is not free from cathartic drive to control the mind by the owner, who still strives to make profit from his medium.”
Chapter Twelve is devoted to ‘Pandering to audience’s taste’ and it emphasizes the need for any newspaper, TV or radio that wants to attract and cultivate readership or viewership or listenership to pander to their tastes, which will boost readership and attract advertisement to the medium.
Chapter Thirteen; ‘The Editor-in-Chief’ defines the duty of the Editor-in-Chief/Head of Editorial crew and his or her duties. He states that the Editor-in-Chief is the overall boss of the editorial department, who exchanges views with the news editor, line editors on matters of interest, depending on the media organisation’s organogram.
Chapter Fourteen is simply titled ‘The Leader or Editorial,’ in his words, is the expression of the opinion of the publisher. It is different from news, he stresses. It usually comes under the mast head that differentiates it from other editorial pages such as news, features, fashion and so on.
He itemizes the functions of an editorial as follows: (i) To inform (ii) To persuade or convince (iii) To stimulate insight in an entertaining or humorous manner. This chapter contains everything about editorial including samples of editorials of some Nigerian newspapers.
‘The Editor,’ the topic of Chapter Fifteen states that the Editorial buck stops at the editor’s desk because he signs the imprint undertaking as it were that he should be held responsible for everything in the newspaper. Though an employee, he can hire and fire members of editorial staff.
In Chapter sixteen; ‘Genre of newspapers,’ the author explains the differences between magazines and newspapers which include: duration, depth of treatment given to stories, size, format and page design and so on. Types of newspapers namely: tabloid and broadsheet as well as types of magazines; soft sell and the general interest are explained in this chapter.
Chapter seventeen ‘News Editor,’ according to him, is called the generalissimo of the newsroom because he has the power of life and death over stories for publication.
Since newspaper sells news (gather and disseminate information), to information-starved populace, the news editor is the purveyor of news in a newspaper house. Adigun’s book explains that news editor generates and process information (news), taking cognizance of the in-house policy and style in carrying his or her duties. He explains the duties and responsibilities of a news editor and gives details of what news is all about.
Chapter Eighteen – ‘Handling big stories’ is an extension of the previous chapter, stating that the news editor gives direction, issues order to each reporter covering different aspect of multidimensional story with the aim of coming up with a panoramic and comprehensive package that does justice to every angle of the story. An example of how a story like plane crash can be handled from different angles is in the book.
Chapter Nineteen deal with ‘The interview.’ He defines interview in many ways, gives types of interview as (personality and issue-based interviews) and so on, with sub headings like Public Opinion Poll (POP), Booked interview (Issue based). He did not fail to point out that a reporter must research on the interviewee and the subject matter to enable him or her ask relevant questions. Proper dressing, punctuality and the reporter must go with a mini-recorder, pen and notebook are also mentioned in this chapter.
He takes us to Chapter Twenty ‘Chief Sub-editor’ also known ‘Custodian of housestyle’ who highlights everyday activity geared towards the production of a newspaper.
The list continues which are also important to read, so I encourage students in higher institutions of learning, lecturers, journalists and whoever wants to learn how mass media are operated to read this book.
As a journalist who studied Mass Communication and now practicing journalism, the book helps to sharpen my writing and thinking skills. It is a compilation of what one studied in school, even to a Master’s degree level. So the 219-page book is a must read for whoever is practicing journalism and others who want to know the rudiment of mass media practice.
The topics flowed in a way that even a layman who nurtures the idea of setting up a newspaper business or radio or television stations will read the book and follow the steps. The book is clear and easy to understand because of his choice of words coupled with the illustrations.
The topics no doubt, are educative, but there were noticeable flaws in the book, such as the arrangement of the topics. ‘Quality of a reporter’ supposed to come immediately after ‘Reporter’.
Others are: minor typographical errors. For example, in Chapter Seven, page 25, ‘quite’ was used instead of ‘quiet’. In the last line of page 101, ‘Information-starved’ was written as ‘information-staved’. There was wrong punctuation in the first line in page 6.
I really commend the publishers for a painstaking effort for a job well done. The printing was well laid out and aesthetically packaged, but pages 150 and 151 were not put in their proper places. I hereby suggest that there should be a subsequent edition to ensure that these errors are corrected.
The author, Tajudeen Adigun, is a seasoned and an accomplished journalist. He was reporter, correspondent, chief sub-editor, production editor and member of editorial board. He has also edited ‘Kaiyegbo,’ a Yoruba Language weekly.
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