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Career Tips From Veteran Women Journalists
7 Plays3 days ago
In this special episode recorded live at the AWiM24 Conference in Dakar, Senegal, Dr Yemisi had the honour of speaking with four phenomenal women who have spent decades shaping African journalism: Dr. Lilian Okonkwo-Ogabu, Angela Agoawike, Ekong Uduak, and Ireti Bakare-Yusuf.
These are women who have walked through fire, navigating tough newsrooms, evolving technologies, political pressures, and shifting audience expectations. And still, they remain passionate, purposeful, and powerful.
You’ll hear them reflect on the lessons they wish they’d learned earlier, how they stay relevant in a constantly changing media landscape, and what advice they have for young journalists trying to make their mark, especially in challenging environments.
Whether you’re just starting out or a few years in, this is the wisdom you didn’t know you needed.
Share your reflections with us on social media using the hashtag #HerMediaDiary.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget to leave a review.. To find out more about this podcast, visit www.hermediadiary.com.
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Transcript
Introduction and Speaker Background
00:00:07
Speaker
I work with the River State Television. I'm the director of News and Parents of N.R. I also have one hour live program for India
Connecting and Networking in Journalism
00:00:22
Speaker
to India. The lesson I wish I had learned earlier being around women.
00:00:30
Speaker
lesson i wish i have learned a yes around getting connected with other people and knowing that this journalism work goes beyond just working in
Impact of Conferences on Journalism Skills
00:00:46
Speaker
the newsroom. The reason why say so is I've been part of our programmes in countries and in fact with other programmes.
00:00:55
Speaker
So it has opened my mind to the things I can do. With the knowledge I've learned attending our conference, there many women in It has given me the confidence that I can do much more than I thought I
Technology's Role in Modern Journalism
00:01:12
Speaker
could do.
00:01:12
Speaker
Being innovative.
00:01:16
Speaker
Because we know that every year we have new things coming up, we have the, and now, we have the, and now. Because when we started there was no Facebook, there was no Instagram. And today we have all this. So how do you cook?
00:01:32
Speaker
You need to move on trend. That is how can. been ready not have iphones you have kind of We only way you can stay afloat. My name is quite corporation.
Monetizing Journalism Skills
00:01:57
Speaker
television
00:02:03
Speaker
One thing i have learnt that I wish I knew 30 years ago when I started it is the fact that I could have converted my skills into products and made money from them.
00:02:17
Speaker
I really hoped that I knew that and coming to Hour 24 has opened me up to a new horizon of possibilities. and I'm going back, not just in talking to other women journalists on why they should take steps to avoid violence in wrong places, but the fact that we can actually create products from our skills and get to have multiple streams of income so that we do not depend on our employers for the remuneration that will keep us going as journalists.
AI's Positive Influence on Journalism
00:02:59
Speaker
I will hold my skills. Before i came here, i had negative thoughts around the use of AI because I had those beliefs that would make me lazy. But now that I'm here and listening to certain conversations, I'm definitely going to rejig my lifestyle and intentionally ensure that going forward, everything I do, I'm looking at the public good and I'm also looking at the business side it.
Angela's Radio Station and Young Talent
00:03:26
Speaker
why then peace My name is Angela
00:03:33
Speaker
I'm a journalist, but right now I'm also a media owner. I operate a radio station called 91.1 FM. It's the we are we have a lot of young and young women who work with us at the same time.
Staying Relevant in Media
00:04:02
Speaker
How we stay relevant, or I in particular, how stay relevant in an industry that is causing new changing is by updating my skills, even the people who work with us at this station, ensuring that organise workshops, we organise trainings, and we follow up on what is happening, what is trending in the media environment, new things and technology, and we get everyone hack that physicalmate a foingology is into just to in which we operate, how education is also important and how to go out there and network with people of like mind on how to improve the
00:04:48
Speaker
The advice of young journalists working in this challenging environment is and Embrace the challenge, but don't beat yourself in hamstring. Because as we have always been told, you report the news, you don't allow yourself to become a fit. So embrace the challenge. See it as an opportunity to improve your skills, your knowledge, to do something better than you are already doing it. And at the end of every day, ask yourself, have I earned my pay for Have I impacted anyone today? And if you're happy with your answer, then that means what you're doing in Nigeria.
Profiles in Journalism: Riti Abreu Yusuf
00:05:25
Speaker
My name is Riti Abreu Yusuf. I'm a freelance broadcast journalist and I also work with Nigeria Info 99.3. I'm from Lagos, Nigeria.
Advice for Aspiring Journalists
00:05:42
Speaker
Absolutely nothing. If I could go back to the beginning of my career, I will do nothing differently. I feel like done everything as I should have done
00:06:00
Speaker
it. The advice I give young journalists working in challenging environments is to work with the challenge, own it.
00:06:11
Speaker
And that's the only way you can navigate your way around it because If you try to avoid the challenge, then you effectively get left out of it and therefore you're then not not querying, you're not shaping.