Interview: “Ensure You Put in the Effort to be the Best Version of Yourself” — Oluwatosin Adeoye, Former AFAS Press News Editor
Mahbubat Salahudeen
In this exclusive interview, Oluwatosin Adeoye, former News Editor at AFAS Press, reflects on her journey as a campus journalist, the lessons learned, challenges encountered, and the role of the press in shaping her career. She shares insights into her experiences in AFAS Press, her biggest achievements and regrets, and offers advice to aspiring campus journalists.
Can we get to know you?
My name is Oluwatosin Adeoye, a student of the department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan. I was enrolled through Direct Entry. I had acquired a National Diploma in Mass Communication, Ogun State Institute of Technology before coming to the university of Ibadan. And I’m from a family of four: myself, my sister and my parents.
Tell us about your journey into campus journalism and why AFAS Press? What motivated your decision to join the press?
On my journey to campus journalism, during my ND days, I did campus politics. But being a student of communication, I wanted to practice how I can put my skill to utility. First, I tried applying to ACLAS Press, but I was told that the recruitment process had ended as at the time I applied during my first semester on campus at 200 level.
Then, I came across the advert of AFAS press and I applied. After which we did the screening, and examination. I passed and I received the notification that I had become a full fledged member of AFAS PRESS
Being a member of AFAS Press, a faculty with so many dramas especially in the political sphere requiring the press to be on their toes mostly, how will you describe the experience?
The experience has been like no other because there’s always something to write about, so it gets the pen working, which is our mandate.The administrations of Faculty of Arts in and out of sessions, have always ensured that the press has something to put out from time to time due to situations and circumstances that have been occurring.
Who are those campus journalists that you admire and inspire you with their works?
I actually have a long list but within our sphere, I will go for Olanshile, Abdulrahmah, Abdulkabeer, Aduwo and everyone that has used their writing skills to bring about change in our society, in terms of solutions journalism, specifically.
How have you been able to balance being a campus journalist with your academic life and dabbling into other activities on campus?
On balance, I’ll say I’m on the list of people that work with prioritizing things based on how important and how urgent they are. So when I do have assignments and events to cover, I ensure that I check with the timing of submission and the event to see how I can work around the time or assign someone else to cover the event on my behalf
But if my academics can wait depending on the demands of the assignment, I attend to my journalistic duties. As a matter of fact, I am not the only member of the press, so we often work hand in hand, so that has been quite helpful, helping me to achieve balance.
Of the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite? Your most challenging and most memorable?
Of the stories I’ve written, first, I’ll like to point out that I’ve always served in AFAS press as a news desk member until the previous session where I became the news editor. So, I’ve majorly been writing news.
Nonetheless, if I am to choose a favourite piece, it will be the fact checking piece I wrote in my last semester concerning a particular statement made by the president in which he had asserted that he did something which he actually didn’t. For that piece, I was able to bring documents to prove that he never made that statement.
Also, my most challenging story didn’t go out. For that story, I worked hard on that story and I had also interviewed a lot of people. But at the time when the story was finally written, the context wasn’t really spelt out and the editor in charge of that story couldn’t get the story out due to timing and because of that, the story never got out. For that, I’ll say that’s my most memorable and most challenging.
Having served under four E-in-Cs in AFAS Press, which will you say is your most memorable?
I must say that every Editor-in-chief I have served under has a place in my heart including memories that have stuck with me, so I really can’t say I have a most memorable one. I can only say that my activities in the previous administration were quite memorable because there are times I had to deliver in the middle of the night.
For instance, I received notifications around 11: 00 pm and I had to deliver because the news has to go out for it to be timely. I delivered at 11 pm, 12 am and much more. In short, the recent administration was memorable but every Editor-in-chief have all placed memories in my heart so for me, they are all memorable
Is journalism something you’ll love to venture into after school?
Yes, I’d actually love to venture into journalism. Yes!
If you were to take all you have done as a campus journalist and pick a single memory from your career so far, what would it be?
This is kind of hard but I will say every FLC sitting I have attended, because choosing one won’t be enough.
How does it feel like leaving an organization where you practically moved through the hierarchy?
I’m short of words, honestly. As at the point where I had to leave the group chat, I hesitated because I felt, really?! I’m going to leave the conversations, the experience, and everything? It’s hard, but I still had to leave. Although I am still a member, not as an undergraduate but an alumni of the team. It was not that easy.
What would you say were the biggest achievements and challenges as a pressman?
I’ll say better writing skills, networking with like-minded individuals. I’ll also say that I’ve been able to meet different people through interviews, thereby enhancing my interviewing skills as well.
My biggest challenge as a campus Journalist has been “time.” Not in terms of time management but having to spend so much time covering an event that will simply take up 4 to 6 paragraphs. Let’s say I attend a seminar, and I’ll have to stay behind for a couple of hours in order to get something newsworthy from the event. And after that, I deliver just one piece of the story. It is a challenge, because one has to be present to know what one’s picking out of the whole event. A typical example are FLC sittings, where one spends 4 to 5 hours into the night, and having to go back to one’s hostel around 9pm.
Are you a book or movie person?
I’m a movie person! I’m not a book person at all. I’ll rather watch a movie than read a book.
If not campus journalism, what would you have been so involved in during your stay as a Uite?
It still would have been campus journalism because I had actually wanted a change in what I was engaged with on campus. Nonetheless, another thing which could have worked in that line is the literary and debating society but the priority has always been the press.
What are the lessons you’ve picked over the years as a campus journalist?
My lessons include due diligence, timeliness and fact checking.
In terms of due diligence, when writing any article, any piece whatsoever, even a news story, one must ensure that the details are not ambiguous, that the details are specific, and that one isn’t misquoting any individual in the article.
On timeliness, even if one is working on a feature article, one needs to be timely, because the story has to be delivered when it will still be of essence and a reason to be published.
Fact checking is similar to due diligence. It is important to ensure that one fact checks all details including the correct data in presenting unquestionable information
What are the changes you’ll love to see in Campus Journalism going forward?
Actually, I have realized that there has been a trend of solutions journalism in UCJ UI and the lpos. I’ll like to see more of that, where we write to bring about change, positive change, transformative change in our society, starting from our local community to get to the national body.
I’ll love to see more solutions journalism on campus. Not just a report of what is happening, but reporting in a way to bring about change and better welfare to the affected communities.
Any parting words for the campus journalists you’ll be leaving behind?
The parting words which I’ll be leaving is that every campus journalist should ensure that they get better at what they do —you don’t do what you do today, the way you did it yesterday. Ensure that you’ve read to enhance what you’ve read yesterday so when you’re delivering to the editor, it will be better than what was delivered yesterday. So get better by the day, ensure you put in the effort to be the best version of yourself.
A mistake I made and didn’t work on was that I focused on news writing majorly, and not other desks. So if you are on a desk, ensure to write for other desks, if you have the opportunity to do so. Reach out to the editor of that desk and deliver. If you’re on the news desk, you could write on politics. If you are in sports, you could write about health, too. Ensure you write vastly; it’s very important.
I’ll say that it’s a regret for me, so ensure you write beyond your desk. That’s what a campus journalist should do. Never stick to a desk. It could affect your skills and restrain you from being exceptional. Because when you write from different angles, for different desks, you’ll be able to identify and build a niche for yourself.
