Journalists and media experts have expressed concerns over the growing exit of talents from newsrooms
This was the theme of discussion at the X Space Conversation organised by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), which held on Tuesday 13th May, 2025, themed; “Are newsrooms struggling to retain talents?”
In his remark, Media Career Development Specialist, Lekan Otufodurin, cited the erosion of clear career pathways in many newsrooms stating that many people may put in the work but feel their organizations do not care enough about their future.
“It is important we pay attention to people’s career development. Most of us are doing the work but most of us feel like our organizations do not care well about our future.
“The truth is that, People had time when they spent long time in those organizations and were able to pursue a career. The career paths were a bit clearer, we didn’t have this disruptions that we have now. Now that we have new media skills, when people had a lot of options, not back in our days when you could count the number of organizations.”
According to Otufodunrin, newsrooms must be willing to adapt from rigid work models and pay attention to the needs of their staff as well.
“People hiring people must be ready to take care of people’s career, pay attention to what they are asking for. We’re not only struggling to retain talents we are struggling to find new talents for the new realities of media practice.
“We must listen to our staff and willing to depart from the old ways of very strict work arrangements. The ability to be able to accommodate new developments is very important.” He said.
Amaka Okoye, West Africa Correspondent at DeutscheWelle, emphasized the need for a strategic action, while urging media employers not only identify the causes of brain drain but to also take steps to retain talents.
“We see in different fields and sector, and how obvious brain drain is in talent moving from our country to other countries and other places where it seems better.
“It is therefore important to ask why this is happening in the first place, what can we do, where do we need to improve and what lessons need to be learnt.
“What is it that we’re not getting right apart from other obvious reasons like finances and trainings, what is making our own place where most qualified and seasoned experts and journalists would want to be?
“How can we bring back the talents that we are losing and if we’re not able to bring them back, how can we retain the ones that we have that will match the standards.”
In the same vein, Bamas Victoria, Editor, International Centre for investigative Reporting (ICIR), stated that flexibility of work models is in high demand among many media professionals. She explained that the traditional full-time employment is being challenged as more journalists seek hybrid roles that can avail them the opportunity to work across different organizations.
Victoria further cited pay, welfare and work place culture as critical issues influencing journalists’ decision in retaining their jobs.
“One of the things we are finding hard is flexibility, we can no longer be as rigid as we were in terms of employment as a number of persons now want to work hybrid, some do not even want to work full time as they’re thinking of working for multiple platforms. So, media houses are now rethinking different ways of offering employments.
“Not necessarily full time and of course salary increment because a number of people who usually move, they move either to corporate or international media houses or they move to government institutions or political positions. One of the reasons is because those kind of institutions offer higher pay and its actually quite important in our economy.
“Asides the pay, they also look at the kind of welfare you offer like health or house insurance. In terms of environment, is it inclusive or toxic, It may make people not want to stay.”
She also stressed the importance of safety and protection for journalists who explore investigative stories.
“Then, protection and safety, if the talent knows that the media house is going to protect them and not throw them under the bus irrespective of the kind of story that you do so far you do the story by the book.”