The Press is an integral part of the University of Ibadan community. Its cardinal position, among other components, has been to play a set of missionary roles, focused on informing the University community about newsworthy developments, exposing the high-handedness of student leaders, upholding the tenuous balance of democracy as much as the country guarantees it, as well as fostering both students’ interest and the University’s ideal vision – all without prejudice. The Press, or campus journalism, is simply as important as its purpose (s).
Where Indy Press Stands
At Indypress, the excellence of a press, both in terms of competence and commitment, demands that the ideal ideas of campus journalism, across its publication pages, should actively function and serve only virtuous interest.
Through weekly but critical conversations, and publications ingrained with touchstone quality, IndyPress has upheld the flame of admirable excellence. This ever continuing tradition, better than a delayed perfection, must continue towards the skyward vision of the organization.
Appreciating the values of our organization, Indy Press, situated in a box-like secretariat, Block C of the Great Independence Hall of Residence, University of Ibadan, in its core mission, has consistently been to set a non-competing pace of what and how an impact driven journalism on campus is meant to be. A responsibility or an objective that subsumes all other known virtues.
The new editorial leadership of the organization will not shortchange the philosophical components of sound journalistic practices, which are but not limited to accuracy, objectivity, currency, and innovative ability, among other enduring virtues. These values, we clearly understand, are without choice towards realizing a leap ahead vested on the new editorial board. We shall not compromise the standard.
Worth mentioning, the outgoing Omachonu Kelvin-led Editorial Board was an impressive year, quite characterized by the wake of incomparable ideas. Exclusively, these ideas include, the emergence of a newsletter initiative, which brings a round summation of Indypress weekly publication near our distinguished readers, as well as innovating a Contributors’ Desk, which adds individual voice of University of Ibadan community members, to our array of publications. These ingenious feats are no doubt incredible and are in tandem with the aims and objectives of Indypress, as an organization ‘to provide adequate information about happenings within and outside the hall, much as it has an equal obligation ‘to promote the spirit of investigative journalism, enhance members interest and train them for the task of building a better society, through professional ethics’.
The Pen Will Be Our Conscience
“The truth is never as dangerous as a lie.”
Where the world’s disposition generally has been a compromise to telling the truth, to being inaccurate or avoid being objective, in fairness, journalism under our watch will be conscientious and vigilant, as it is our culture.
The burden of journalistic truth at the University of Ibadan requires that the press remain an agency that raises objective concerns, works professionally to catalyze change, exposes faults without recourse, provides information essential to solving problems, spotlights helpful things, and primarily informs the array of readers about what every newsworthy development. Through journalistic procedures, these responsibilities, we believe very strongly, should be given cardinal focus. All these, imagined as a horse, should come before the cart. With a new editorial board still hinged on the core objective for which Indypress exists, in all respects, we will give the best of our youthful energy to accurate and thoroughgoing campus journalism.
As an organized outlet that does not operate in a vacuum, the fulcrum of our operation, purely characteristic of journalism, is within one single frame but in layers. To the students’ community, wherein there are students, student leaders, and students’ organizations across departments, faculties, halls, and even in underrepresented places like off-campus and private hostels, the role of the press should be to embark on multicultural understanding, while assisting in making sense of these intricate communities. As a tool for information dissemination, the Press must sparingly exist as the backbone of democracy.
Spelling Indypress due diligence, the need for timely and accurate reportage, upholding the impact of our editorial desks, addressing strands of both cognitive and affective issues, ensuring accountability of student office holders, as well as promoting the ideal vision of the University of Ibadan as an ivory league will take single-minded shape, as the organization has been known.
The New Editorial Board
As it currently stands, ‘editorial autonomy’ is an under-discussed subject of substance at the University of Ibadan. The Press, as a non-objectionable fact, as long as it does not commit criminal lies, must be able to obtain its independence from interference in editorial decisions. Free from fear or favor, students’ press outlets must be concretely able to establish their editorial grandstanding on every discourse considerably raised. Characteristic of every editorial writing or page, the organization’s stance on all flagged issues would be ideal without being opinionated.
The new editorial board, which on March 7th, 2024, received the baton of administration, must understand that without continual growth and success, words like improvement, achievements, and success will not have meaning. The great commissioning before us must be combined with our studies, as excellence in all ramifications must take pre-eminence in all our doings.
The new editorial board is to be led by Aduwo Ayodele as the Editor-in-Chief, Toluwalope Ayeye as the Deputy Maduabuchi Ochi as both the Politics Editor and Managing Editor; Ajadi Sodiq as Online Editor; Peter Sonaike as Features Editor; Yusuf Ramon as Sports Editor; Favour Bamijoko as Entertainment Editor; and Victor Ogunyemi as News Editor, must and will see the vision of press through.
