Cloud Network, Lagos State Partner to Build Strategic Capacity for Media Operation

Cloud Network Foundation (CNF) and the Lagos State Government (LASG) are soon to hold a strategic capacity-building workshop for the operators in the media industry.

The initiative, the first in a series of other noble plans is designed to engender massive engagements and collaboration with the stakeholders in the media industry to help plug the hole in the missing links between a healthy and more productive media industry and the professional challenges facing the media operators.

The 2-day event that will be declared open by the Lagos State Governor, His Excellence, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will feature talks on various topics such as Digital Media and Social Journalism, Data Journalism and Visualization and unpack the latest trends in YouTube, Radio, TV and documentary production.

It will proffer solutions to the nuts and bolts of investigative journalism, and Journalism in the era of Artificial Intelligence ( AI) amongst others.

Mr. Abimbola Tooki, Chairman of CNF, in a Statement released in Lagos, said that in this era of Social Media, Digital Publishing and the abuse and misuse of other opportunities in the technology space, knowledge development and applications of appropriate tools are critical in maximizing the potentials in the media space for national growth and development.

Speaking on the plan to forge collaborative engagements between the CNF and LASG, Tooki said that the partnership is designed to scale up professionals in the public and private media sectors.

Noting that this is intended to build a robust set of skills for operatives easily vulnerable to the pitfalls of the digital publishing space, he said that the delivery of professional competencies is imperative within the media ecosystem.

He stressed that the rise of the internet and digital technologies has revolutionised the way we consume media.

Traditional forms of media, such as newspapers and magazines, have given way to the online news portal, blogs, and social media platforms.

According to him, the convenience of accessing news and entertainment content anytime anywhere has made digital media increasingly popular.

The CNF leader acknowledged that the digital age has also presented media organizations with opportunities and challenges that need to be adequately grasped and mastered.

“On one hand, the Internet has expanded its reach, allowing us to connect with global audiences and experiment in new storytelling formats.

” On the other hand, the fragmentation of audiences, the dominance of social media platforms, and the decline in traditional advertising revenues pose significant challenges.

“Media organizations need to adapt by embracing digital technologies, exploring new business models, and fostering meaningful engagement with their audiences”.

He said in a fast-changing industry and the world there is a need to recognize the importance of equipping and constantly engaging journalists and other news actors with emerging and advanced digital skills, tools and knowledge.

According to him, these and more are the focus of the 2-day capacity building digital workshop being planned for the media professionals by the NCF in collaboration with the Lagos State Government.

According to him, the main objectives of the workshop include enhancing professional competence by providing journalists with up-to-date skills in reporting, storytelling, and digital media to adapt to the changing industry demands.

More so, the workshop will focus on ethical reporting and standards. This is to ensure that practitioners reinforce ethical journalism practices, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and accountability in reporting.

The workshop will ensure that professionals are reined in on the recurring challenges in the New Media space, and emerging technologies.

The workshop will also integrate digital transformation for the media operators.

It is designed to equip journalists with the tools and techniques necessary to leverage digital platforms effectively for storytelling and engagements.

Above all, Tooki said, the workshop will reinforce the synergy between the government and the media, as well as the government and its public.

To make the programme all-inclusive, he said that the training will accommodate government House Reporters, young reporters, middle to senior levels career journalists, bloggers, online news writers and social media influencers.