You cannot be into journalism and not know Mr. Dan Agbese. He’s not only one of our living legends, he’s also one of the founding editors of Newswatch magazine.
Currently into book writing, especially after the takeover of Newswatch by maverick businessman, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, YES INTERNATIONAL! Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE, ran into him in Katsina on Thursday, August 28, 2014. This was at the 10th annual All Nigerian Editors Conference (organsied by The Nigerian Guild Of Editors). And without much ado, Agbese, now a director at May Five Media (their new company) consented to an on-the-spot chat which centred basically on journalism. Enjoy…
What makes a good journalist?
What makes a good journalist is, first of all, the professional commitment. The first thing to do is to be professionally committed to journalism; you understand the ethics of the profession, you understand your responsibilities to yourself, to your profession and to your audience. Yes!
What is the costliest mistake that any journalist can make?
The costliest, in my view, is to be biased. In other words, there are several sides to a story. If you are biased and you take only one side of the story, that’s a costly mistake.
What do you like most about being a journalist?
Well, I love the aspect of influencing public opinion, because journalism is the only profession that gives you that latitude. Whatever I write must be read by at least somebody; whether I’m writing a story or I’m writing a feature or I’m writing a column. Someone, somewhere is going to read it. And that’s important to me. That’s what I love about it.
What don’t you like about being a journalist?
Well, here in this country, people still look down on the journalists. They call us press boys; it doesn’t matter how old you are (Laughing). That’s something I don’t like. That we haven’t been able to earn the kind of respect that we ought to and surprisingly, when I went into journalism more than 40 years ago, there was such a high degree of respect for journalists. But that is eroded more or less now, which is a pity. It ought to be stronger now than what it is.
What is the greatest thing that journalism has done for you?
It has exposed me to a whole lot of people; it’s helped me to make wonderful friends. But above all; it has given me the discipline of writing. Yes!
What has journalism not done for you?
I can’t remember what it has not done for me. It has done everything for me (Laughing).
What makes a good reporter?
A good reporter must have good ears, good eyes and a good head.
What makes a good editor?
You see, there is always a mistake about that. Some people believe that because you are a good reporter, you can be a good editor. It doesn’t work that way. They require two different temperaments.
You know, being a reporter, being an editor; they are two different things. An editor, first of all, is the chief public relations officer of his publication. Whatever he does or fails to do will impact on his publication. So, his integrity is very important and it’s that integrity that influences his workers, that places his publication at a certain level. Yes!
What makes a good story?
A good story must have all the sides; it will answer all the necessary questions. Yes! It must be complete.
What got you interested in journalism in the first instance?
Writing!
What is your take on the coming of the social media?
Well, I think they are expanding our options actually. But I don’t have a lot of respect for the social media myself. I don’t want to get myself involved in it. There’s a lot of gossip out there, and that’s not for me.
Most people read what you write; who are those you read what they write?
Good work! I read virtually all the young columnists in the country…
(Interruption) You don’t want to mention names?
Well, I read a whole lot of them. Yeah! I can’t name all of them, but I know I read all of them.