“Trust in Media: The Biggest Currency We Need to Rebuild”

Lagos, Nigeria – In a bid to reshape the media landscape and promote meaningful public discourse, a digital conversation on media practice and development was held on August 31, 2025. The session, themed “Media Agenda Setting: How Media Can Lead Better Public Conversation,” brought together young journalists, veteran media practitioners, and media scholars to discuss the role of media in setting the public agenda.

The conversation, which took place from 4:55 PM to 6:30 PM (WAT) on X (formerly Twitter), was convened by Toheeb Babalola, a young and innovative journalist, and moderated by Noah Aderoju, a multimedia journalist. The event aimed to critically explore how media professionals can reclaim their role in shaping meaningful public discourse, amid growing influence from social media influencers and opinion-driven content.

Opening Remarks

Moderator Noah Aderoju welcomed participants and emphasized that the discussion aimed to empower media professionals to lead meaningful conversations and reclaim their agenda-setting power. Convener Toheeb Babalola highlighted the urgent need for ethical rebirth in media practice, expressing concern that influencers, rather than trained journalists, increasingly set the media agenda, leading to a distortion of facts and dilution of journalistic values.

Insights from Speakers

Dr. Jamiu Folarin, a lecturer at Crescent University and journalist, delivered the keynote address. He appreciated the relevance of the topic and emphasized that agenda setting is essential for fostering informed public conversations. He traced the origin of press freedom to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which shaped global media practices, and highlighted that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (Sections 22 & 39) guarantees freedom of expression and grants media a unique responsibility of accountability.

Dr. Folarin noted that while Nigerians enjoy constitutional freedom of expression, economic barriers – like costly licenses and monopolized ownership – limit the press’s freedom. He called for journalists to adapt to technological changes, promote solutions journalism and community-centered storytelling, restructure journalism education to bridge the gap between the classroom and newsroom, and revisit media ethics and professional standards to restore trust.

Lady Ejiro Umukoro’s Presentation

Lady Ejiro Umukoro, Founder and Publisher of LightRay! Media delivered a compelling presentation, demystifying media agenda setting and challenging current media practices. “Trust in the media is the biggest currency we need to rebuild“, she says.

She explained that agenda setting gained prominence during the era of mass communication, where traditional media (TV, radio, print) determined public focus by controlling information flow compared to reverse in today’s digital era where it is communication by the masses.

She highlighted that agenda setting has evolved, with media now not only telling people what to think about but also how to think – a deviation from the original principles of newsroom journalism. Social media platforms have taken over this power, often influenced by popularity and opinions, not facts, which inturn influences a knee jerk response from existing legacy media to keep up to remain relevant. She noted that ownership structures in Nigerian media often skew agenda setting towards political rather than public interest, with 90% of media outlets being politically connected to Federal and State governments along with Individuals with Political standing with just about 1% of the media being run by core professionals.in Nigeria.

Lady Umukoro also raised the issue of male-centric media content across a number of legacy media headlines and content focus, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and representative storytelling. She stressed that rebuilding audience trust is crucial and urged media to prioritize fact-checking, engage more deeply with the audience’s needs, timing, and consumption habits, and shift from merely informing to engaging, especially on social media. She also maintained that public interest journalism remains the core mandate of the newsroom.

Community Engagement and Professionalism

Lady Umukoro called for community-centered programs, especially in radio, to drive meaningful conversations. She emphasized that media must inform to empower, not just entertain or manipulate. She ended by urging journalists to invest in media literacy, professional training, and uphold the ethics of truth-telling and accountability, stating: “The singular goal of Journalism is to tell the truth. That is the only task Journalism would die for because it’s all about the truth; not telling people how to think but giving them informed data that enables them engage in independent thinking.”

Session Highlights

The session was rich in insights, encouraging critical reflection on the evolving role of media. Participants included both veterans and young professionals, fostering an intergenerational exchange of ideas. Unfortunately, the third speaker, Osaronuamen Ibizugbe of CJID, was unable to join due to technical issues.

Key Takeaways

• Trust is the most valuable currency in today’s media landscape.
• Media must reclaim its agenda-setting power from influencers and interest-driven platforms.
• Ethics and professionalism are the foundation of responsible journalism.
• Ownership structures must be reviewed to avoid bias and political manipulation.
• Journalism education and media literacy must be prioritized.
• Engagement and community building over information delivery is the future of impactful journalism.

Conclusion

The event successfully created a space for reflection, learning, and strategic thinking around media agenda setting. It served as a clarion call to reclaim journalistic standards, drive solution-focused narratives, and restore public trust in the media. The session concluded at 6:30 PM, leaving participants motivated to become better media professionals and advocates for truth, ethics, and public interest.