AFAS Press Organizes Training for New Recruits

Gift Chika

The Association of Faculty of Arts Press Organisation (AFAS Press) held a training for its new members as well as new members of the departmental press organisations in the faculty on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at Room 71, Faculty of Arts.

In her opening remarks, the Editor-in-Chief of AFAS Press, Foyin Ejilola, said that the training was borne out of the need to equip the new recruits with the skills to produce standard articles.

The training was three-tiered, focusing on news writing, news writing and reporting, and the covering of politics in the faculty and on campus.

Speaking in the first session of the training on features writing, Foyin Ejilola described features writing as a form of writing that tells the stories of others and covers various topics in an unbiased manner. She also highlighted the purpose, background, and outline as a crucial structure of features writing.

The second session was taken by Tijani AbdulKabir, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AFAS Press, where he spoke extensively on News writing, describing it as the foundation of journalism. He also went on to cover the structure of a News story, as well as the elements of a good News reporter.

In his own part, the Politics desk Editor, Olanshile Ogunrinu, stressed the importance of writing articles on politics which ensures accountability of student leaders. He spoke further on Politics reporting which requires a sense of investigative journalism, and a keen knowledge on faculty and Students Union constitutions.

“A major reason for campus journalism is ‘holding the student leaders accountable’.”

For clarity and better understanding, each session ended with opportunities given to the recruits to ask questions and/or input comments.

The training lasted for three hours and was concluded with the Editor-in-Chief laying out the rules and regulations that guides the activities of the Press to the new members.