Use of language in the media

By Dafe Ivwurie

A former senior colleague of mine sent me an SMS on something that she had read in one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers. It was not the topic or the idea put forward in the article that angered her, it was the language and errors, which I deciphered from the drift of her message that was her major grouse with the writer, the proof reader and the editor.
“English must be the hardest language on earth to master even for a newspaper,” she lashed out. “Are there no proof readers or whatever?” she queried in the conclusion of her very terse text message.
I tried to put up a defence for my primary constituency; writing is hard, the pressure of the job is enormous, the pay is poor, the conditions of getting assignments done are demoralising, the good ones do not stay on the job, they go in search of where the grass is greener in banks, the PR agencies and the oil industry, etc.
I doubt if my protestation impressed her in the least, not to talk of swaying her mind in any significant way. In the end, I conceded some ground that the level of the use of the English language in the media – the print, broadcasting and the movie industry – is shameful and appalling. I have chosen to limit it to the works that are normally in the public domain, but if you have worked in the corporate world, you would also agree that this is a malady that has eaten deep - graduates simply cannot write a memo to their colleagues.
I must state here that I grew up on a very healthy staple of Nigerian journalism before I ever got exposed to international journalism. I remember that in the 80s and early 90s I had to read Vanguard, The Guardian, The Punch, Daily Times, New Nigeria, Newswatch, Quality, Classique and Tell and waited till my father came home to recount what I had read to him. That experience made lasting impression on me. The other experience that impacted on me was my encounter with broadcasting, especially the radio. I thought my generation and the generation before mine had the privilege of being exposed to the very best, and in some cases pioneers in these various fields of mass communication. Incidentally, some of them are still alive.
The major problems with the creative industry in Nigeria are the standard of education the system hands down to the citizens and the lack of mentoring for those who have decided to follow a particular career.
Learning to write and speak the English language was quite an ordeal for most of my classmates in the dusty Bola Ige founded Ikolaba Grammar School in Ibadan. Most of the students would rather speak Yoruba and the class would usually go quiet for a long time anytime the principal, Mrs. O. A. Laditan, and the vice-principal, Mrs. Agagu, reiterated the fact that English was the preferred language of communication while within the four walls of the school (we actually didn’t have walls). I remember we had more English and Literature in English classes than any of the other subjects; only Maths, which I hated with a great passion, came close.
The philosophy behind that, I once heard the principal explaining to my father, was because you had to understand English language in order to pass any subject; it was the foundation of your entire education in the modern world. So we wrote essays, we took dictations, we did spelling drills, we participated in debates, we did just about everything that would make us express ourselves intelligently, confidently and logically.
I am not sure how much of that is done in public schools these days, but if we go by the level of conversation we have with some graduates, it is safe to say that we are in trouble. I know the trouble some editors go through to edit their papers and make it readable for the public because the reporter or writer has simply thrown all the rules of grammar to the wind.
For some editors, constant migraine has become one of the major hazards of journalism. If you listen to the radio, I am sure you cringe every once in a while with what you hear from the on-air-personalities on parade. It appears to me that the criteria for landing a job in broadcasting, radio especially is the amount of slang, uncouth language and your ability to speak with affectation.
I know some parents who would not allow their children listen to certain programmes or presenters on radio or television. Therein is the crux of the matter, because writers, broadcasters, actors and public speakers, operate in the public sphere and influence lives with their opinions, and because they do it mainly in English language, it is important that they master the language so that they do not mislead those whose minds are still impressionable.
The argument that English is not our mother tongue is untenable. If you have chosen to communicate in it, you might as well constantly strive to use it well. And the advice also applies to those using indigenous languages. This means you must read constantly, take refresher courses to update your language skills.
This brings me to the idea of mentoring. I often say that I am from the Sam Amuka school of journalism. When I joined Vanguard as a society reporter with my brother, Sam Umukoro, Uncle Sam, the publisher, threw us in at the deep end. But he also stuffed us with newspaper and magazine articles, contemporary ideas and trends in journalism. He gave us books and asked what books we were reading any time he ran into us. Once in a while, he would pick up our stories and show us where we have made mistakes and offer suggestions for the future. You couldn’t ask for a greater mentor.
Funke Treasure Durodola is one professional that is passionate about mentoring in her chosen career of broadcasting. She may not be the biggest name in town by celebrity or diva status, but she is definitely not a pushover by what she has achieved for herself and what she is doing for budding broadcasters with her Media Mentoring Initiative. We need to help the next generation.
I believe those who interact with the public by radio, television and the print medium must always improve on their language skills, whether they communicate in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Urhobo or the English language.
The quality of the use of language, especially the English language in the media has become a national disaster and needs to be arrested by declaring a state of emergency. The next generation of media practitioners must not inherit this rot.