By Rose Moses
Deputy Features Editor, Champion
Lagos, Nigeria

Wow! Five months in an American newsroom and what has it been like?

The American press no doubt remains the most free in the world. And for someone like me from a background where freedom of the press is often defined by the government in power, the exposure was as exciting as it was enriching.

I have been writing in English for my media organization for close to a decade now, but the five months of practical training at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was like a trip through professional perfection.

From the writer to the editor and the production section, to the final copy of the newspaper, what I saw was a job done with ethics riding over any other interest. Everyone in the chain of producing the newspaper is so thorough with every detail that you can hardly pick a word wrongly spelled.

In Nigeria, the news is mostly around the big names…‘Who is behind that story, will a story on him/her sell the paper,’ is more like it.

Should an ordinary person die of cholera or some other preventable disease for instance, it may hardly earn a mention even when a reporter has the story. But the issue will probably become big news when the whole village or even half of it, is eventually wiped out by the epidemic. Or when a big official is infected!

This is a sharp contrast from the practice in the U.S. where almost everyone is as important to the newspaper. For example, a child who forgot to remove a knife from his backpack after a Labor Day fishing spree with his grandfather, made headlines when the school district decided to place him at the alternative school for carrying such a “weapon” to school.

Media reports of the incident saved the boy from what was generally regarded as an unfair punishment. Had the searchlight of the media mainly focused on big names, advertisers and top government officials as is often the case in Nigeria, the plight of the Colleyville Middle School sixth-grader in Grapevine would not have been addressed favorably.

But that is not to say that I approve totally of the flexibility of the American press. I get so amused sometimes at what is considered news here.

At one point during the program for example, I had to cover a mobile pet grooming event. Some dogs were to be treated to a 15-step spa in a heated bath of a mobile trailer... so what? How on earth is that of any interest to the public I asked.

But considering that a good number of Americans don’t mind spending as much on their pets as their kids, the mobile pet grooming story may well be of great public interest.

Nonetheless, I have learned much more these past months that responsible journalism involves breaking new ground, and not necessarily sticking to clichés and stereotypes…As much as a story of ‘a man biting a dog’ could be big news, reports on how to save the same man from dog bites could even be more interesting.

In other words, good journalism should not only entertain, but also inform and educate the public at all times.

And because the American press acts very independently, I learned how simple it is to adhere to the guiding principles of journalism. Professional integrity is hardly questioned when the right sources are used…with their true names and job titles printed.

And I’m not talking about technology here.

In Nigeria, the phrases: “the boss is in a meeting” and “the boss has traveled and is expected next week,” are daily obstacles that reporters struggle to scale in attempt to balance their stories. It’s so frustrating.

This is not made any easier by the rest of the people who are in constant fear that someone, somewhere, may use what they say to the press to harass or intimidate them. They may be willing to give the reporter the gist but …“are you going to publish this? Please, don’t use my name,” becomes another obstacle to the reporter.

That is hardly the case here. The people like to talk, so much so that the saying that Americans talk too much even for their own good, is now common phrase.

Like in the U.S, media laws in Nigeria guarantee freedom of expression. But although the 1999 constitution provides for the right of the media to uphold responsibility and accountability of the government to the people, lots of media laws that were enacted during the military era, still restrict free speech.

Also, while the American Press has been empowered since 1791—under the First Amendment—with the legal teeth to obtain vital public document from the government, the Freedom of Information Act is still on the drawing board of the National Assembly in Nigeria.

But it is not only these handicaps that question the credibility of some stories in the Nigerian press. That commitment to strive for excellence which was very glaring to me while at the Star-Telegram is not as pronounced in our newsrooms.

The American style of writing is straight to the point and the language so concise. A news event still attracts the interest of the readers, days after, because of the style of writing.

It is also interesting to note how much control reporters in the U.S media have over their stories. The most I found editors at the Star-Telegram do was to ask questions about issues they didn’t quite understand from my story. Even at that, they still have me do a final reading to confirm that every word and sentence is right before sending out the copy.

In a developing press like mine, the editor can doctor a reporter’s story not necessarily because he is in doubt of the level of accuracy, but mostly to suit his interest in the story.

A bagful of experience, it has been! And it is this striving for excellence and dedication to the profession that I’m taking back with me.

In fact, so many reporters in my newsroom need such exposure. But not many can be this lucky. So I plan to share my learning with them.

As the deputy features editor, I work with reporters who will obviously benefit directly from my experience on how to turn out more credible, accurate and objective stories. I also attend editorial meetings where I will deliberate with other line editors on these new ways of thinking about the business of journalism.