About a week ago, I and 3 incredible individuals packed our bags and embarked on a mountain climbing expedition down the coast of Wales. My biggest fear ? Camping in the cold weather and freezing to death! Yet, here I am writing this so it’s safe to say that my fear was conquered.

Breaking stereotypes

Prior the expedition, I had told my friends that I would be going hiking up a mountain and also camping overnight at the base. One of the funniest response I got was; “Joy, you’re the first black person I know who’s doing this…you’re going to come back white!” Over the weeks I was met with similar remarks from black people. I found it baffling how something as normal as hiking had been ingrained in us as a “white man’s hobby”.

While I was quick to point out that in my motherland (Nigeria) mountain climbing was a regular thing, I also realised that it was often done with a religious purpose attached to it. Which is fair enough, Nigeria is not for the faint hearted sometimes you need a spiritual awakening to keep on threading in that economy!

Here in the west, amongst the many struggles and stereotypes attached to black people, there is a cultural fear of us going into the woods and not returning – see Get Out. The colour of our skins does not always grant us the safety in doing mundane things. Most times, adventure isn’t our first priority, I mean can you blame us? The first time many of our ancestors crossed their borders it was with chains strapped to their feet & look how that ended…

When hiking every step you’re taking is getting you closer to the peak, as you move you feel boundaries being broken. Though you’re met with some looks, the only thing that matters is getting to the top of the mountain and coming back down in one piece.

Perseverance

Hiking builds perseverance – as a black woman, perseverance is a notion of which I am familiar with. The colour of my skin being a female are already extreme sports. Navigating white spaces by assimilating can sometimes build resentment and frustrations. When mountain climbing, these are notions you feel. There are also certain points you get to where your legs go numb and you feel like you can’t go anymore. It is easy to throw in the towel and head back down. You literally have to convince yourself to keep going. In everyday life the roadblocks and plot twists sometimes make your legs go numb. You feel like you cannot go on anymore but you just have to keep yourself moving knowing that you will eventually get to the good part.

Navigating white spaces with my assimilation mask is exhausting. Camping gave me a free reign to simply be myself. No makeup, no 22 inches of Brazilian, just me, my friends and lots of laughter.

Self discovery and freedom

Hiking is an opportunity to spend time with yourself and discover how you deal with discomfort and conflict. As a black “millennial” living in the west, everyday life itself is a conflict, my pursuit of freedom and fulfilment in non material things has become a huge part in building my identity. While hiking, I realised how much we take everyday things for granted, things such as a roof over our head, clean water, a smart phone, electricity…I also realised the unmeasured joy in simply doing things because you can.

Self discovery is often a luxury which we do not get to lavishly enjoy. The pressures of everyday life gets in the way, making us forget the things that truly matters to us.

It helps to put things into priority. At the peak of the mountain you’re met with awe and at the bottom with a sense of accomplishment.

Equality

Because when you’re hiking, your skin colour does not matter…yes you get a couple of odd looks from people but in that moment the only thing that matters is climbing up and coming back down in one piece. You are equal with every other person you meet along the way and the shared goal is to reach the top! All your problems seem so small. Your proximity to serenity purifies your soul.

So if you’re a black person reading this, give it a go. The best things in life are waiting outside your comfort zone. Go out and grab them!

Photos & video by @benankobiah on Instagram

If you are a twitter addict like me, you already know of the endless opportunities on the microblogging site. Twitter has evolved from being just a virtual tool for communicating with friends (like it was intended for).

It is now a platform for letting your voice heard, networking, keeping up with pop culture events and much more.

Number of monthly active Twitter users worldwide from 1st quarter of 2010 to 3rd number of 2017 (in millions)

You see twitter is one of the oldest and biggest micro blogging platforms. Live tweeting dates back to 2006 — the year twitter was created. With now over 330 million active monthly users worldwide, the platform is a force to be reckoned with.

As a journalist student, twitter is also a multidimensional tool for me. I use it for news sourcing, news gathering and sharing of news to a large audience.

One of the features on twitter, which I was tasked to play with is the live tweeting feature. I live tweeted an episode of the BBC’s This Week. Politics is a hot topic on twitter and it’s safe to I got some fiery replies from my fellow viewers.

Huh Joy, when you send a tweet, doesn’t it go out in real time, therefore making it a ‘live tweet’…? you ask.

Well, a live tweet is a post which comments on / share information about a live event on Twitter while it is happening. Some of the most popular events that are live tweeted are; the oscars, presidential nominations, sport events, tv shows and anything else live tweet-able really.

In one of my previous posts, I wrote about the death of traditional journalism and the rise of citizen journalism. Microblogging sites like twitter has made it possible for ordinary citizens reading the news, to give their opinion of it, in real time.

Twitter has changed the way we have online conversations about politics, religion, inequality and even celebrity culture. Since the Trump and Brexit political conundrum, twitter threads are another prominent feature which are becoming increasingly popular.

An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author’s opinion about the subject.

It can even be argued that in some way, twitter threads are like the modern micro blogging version of opinion pieces just like in newspapers. Both medium give people the opportunity to shed their opinion

‘Okay…I can see that but what does any of this have to do with live tweeting?’, you ask.

Live tweeting gave me an insight to live broadcasting. It taught me how to relay crucial information to my audience in a succinct way. Now if only I could do the same for my blog posts and not ramble too much!

Follow me on twitter @joy_osula

joy (@joy_osula) | Twitter

On Saturday the 13th of January, babe published an exposé about ‘Grace’ an anonymous Brooklyn based photographer who went on a date with Aziz Ansari back in September 2017. The date was described by Grace as an encounter which ‘turned into the worst night of my life’.

According to the article by babe, the date didn’t go as planned and left Grace crying in the back of a taxi. The next morning, Ansari sent a text saying he had fun, to which Grace wrote a detailed reply on why it wasn’t the case for her.

The way Grace’s story was told by babe highlights the importance of telling a complex story without sensationalism. The article stated details such as Grace’s texts sent to friends before choosing her date outfit; Ansari paying the bill at the restaurant, the lack of preference on wine not presented to Grace back in Ansari’s home and countless imagery of Ansari’s non verbal signals for oral sex.

After arriving at his apartment in Manhattan on Monday evening, they exchanged small talk and drank wine. “It was white,” she said. “I didn’t get to choose and I prefer red, but it was white wine.”

The line above already sets the precedence for the readers to see Grace’s story as a series of awkward happenings which led to an evening that simply did not go as she expected. The superfluous details almost equated to an episode of Aziz Ansari’s Masters of None. A series on dating in the 21st century, where Ansari plays a semi awkward ordinary guy navigating the intricate world of dating.

“They walked the two blocks back to his apartment building, an exclusive address on TriBeCa’s Franklin Street, where Taylor Swift has a place too. When they walked back in, she complimented his marble countertops. According to Grace, Ansari turned the compliment into an invitation…”

Why did the readers need to know that Taylor swift lived several blocks away from Ansari? The clumsy editing here shows the amateurism by both the writer and the editor of the article at babe. An online digital publication which prides itself as a platform aimed “for girls who don’t give a fuck”. But babe, some stories should be written by girls who do give a fuck… Perhaps, this guide on how to report on issues surrounding sexual violence might come in handy next time you write on such a sensitive issue?

With just over a year of being an official news publication site, it is no surprise that babe did not have the level of range needed to cover the story. The first person headline, is somewhat clickbaity.

Sensationalism and hyper saturation of news stories are two of the biggest enemies killing new media journalism. A lot of online publications are more eager on getting the story out there and getting clicks than they are on telling stories the right way.

The article had a great potential to tell a complex story. It could have explored the intricacies of sexual consent but because of the sensationalist style in which the story was written, it left readers rather divided on Grace’s story.

What the article missed out on was opportunity to open an in-depth conversation on consensual sex. That consensual sex is not always a simple yes or no situation. That women should feel more empowered in saying NO in situations that they do not feel comfortable in. That perhaps men who pride themselves as feminists should know better. Instead, it opened itself to questions such as why Grace didn’t just get up and leave. Why did she perform oral twice on Ansari if she didn’t want to? Why didn’t she just say no in the first place?

The article highlights why stories surrounding the #MeToo conversation need to be handled carefully. So complex stories surrounding sexual coercion and sexual harassment do not open up a space for victim blaming and doubt.

Dear journalists, stop sleeping on Steller! No, not the English fashion designer — Stella Mccartney.

Steller, a visual storytelling app which allows you to collate pictures, videos and add texts all from your mobile phone. It’s like if Snapchat had a baby with Instagram but without the 24 hours expiry time frame. It is essentially a playground for professional content creators.

I had the opportunity to create some stories on Stellar and I haven’t been able to look at Instagram the same way. The end product of my stories made me want to drop my course, pick up a DSLR, go travelling and tell striking stories.

But…let me not get too ahead of myself. Without further ado, here are some reasons why journalists should get on Steller!

Showcase your work.

Of course this goes without saying, as a journalist, any platform you use should be to showcase your work. Steller helps you to show your body of work, think of it as a visual portfolio.

Learn multimedia editing skills.

Digital journalism is the future of journalism. More and more online publications are using videos and texts to tell their news stories. As a journalist, having the digital skills to seamlessly put together a multimedia story could be what lands you your next job. So why not get on Steller and start practising!

Tell complicated stories in simple ways.

A good storyteller (Steller) knows how to engage a reader. This could be from the title of your story on the cover page to the caption of photos. I covered the London anti slavery protest, a hard news story which was not easy to write about. But with Steller, I was able to tell the story of the protest in a succinct way.

Grow your online following.

One of the great features of Steller is the ability to hyperlink texts and the use hashtags to get discovered. As well as sharing your content to various audiences, you can also discover and follow like minded creatives.

Find inspiration from various parts of the world.

If you are still testing out the waters for what branch of journalism you would like to get into, Steller is another place to find inspiration.

The standard of story telling on Stellar is incredible; from striking landscapes of starry skies, to distinctive portraits of people from various parts of the world. So why not start telling your stories now?

Catch my content on steller here @joy_osula

Before I start, I want to state the difference between the daily mail and the mail online. The daily mail is a tabloid print newspaper while mail online is well…the online digital version of the daily mail. Although they both belong to the same group, they are technically classed as different entities with different editors.

The two publications are a joke; except one knows it’s a joke and the other is like that embarrassing uncle at the family gathering, who has had one too many to drink and keeps spewing utter crap at everyone.

Why is there a huge stigma on writing for digital tabloid publications such as the mail online?

“Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility” — Nytimes.

The cornerstone of journalism is to seek and report the truth. However tabloid publications such as the sun and daily mail do not reflect this. A quick scroll on their websites will show you this. Due to the ridiculous deadlines given to writers to publish stories.

Most of the articles reek of sexism, misogyny, micro aggressive and racism. Celebrity gossip is masked as “news”, articles are written to gain traffic and are not properly edited. With the exception of some decent articles, generally, tabloid news is like written diarrhoea wrapped in toilet paper. It is the diarrhoea needed to learn that things in shiny wrappers are not always good for your health.

The daily mail has always had it’s share of out-lash. From scornful celebrities whose private lives they invaded and posted fabricated stories about (see Clooney mother in-law story). The latest celebrity who has made his disdain for the mail public is Stormzy. This is no surprise given the mail’s continuous micro aggressive and racially biased articles against the award winning grime artist.

#GSAP on Twitter

Imagine raising your child, loving and nurturing them. Sending them off to school and then uni for them to grow up and then get a job working for the fucking daily mail. Embarrassing 🤦🏿‍♂️

After an eyebrow raising article written by the mail, which said black UK grime artists are ‘fuelling’ the use of cannabis in their music. Stormzy took to twitter to show his disappointment towards every writer at the Daily Mail.

This sparked the debate, which questioned if journalists who work for tabloid publications such as the Daily Mail are morally inept.

Thea de Gallier on Twitter

journalism is a dying industry and writers need to pay their rent. We're certainly not rich enough to choose our morals over the need to survive. I know people who work at the mail, the sun, the express... normal people just trying to make a living https://t.co/lLafeJWtdS

I interviewed a Bournemouth student alumni who works for the daily mail, due to confidentially, I will call him Morty. At university, Morty was a hard working student who spent hours working on important news stories he cared about. Stories from domestic violence to religion and race.

Like most recent graduates, Morty was struggling to find a decent job with good pay. After months of rejections from publications he decides to work at, for the mail online. He is given a series of headlines by his editor, mostly ‘entertainment’ pieces. can vary from enter gossip to who is wearing what

Maybe Morty should quit working for the daily mail. After all, if no one decides to write for them they would be out of business.

As long as there is a job that pays, there will always be people willing to take it.

Yes, journalists who fabricate lies for nasty publications such as the daily mail might have questionable morals. They are simply doing the task they are given to earn their keep. By the time they are ready to leave the toxic publication, there is another young desperate graduate ready to take their place.

News editors who continuously violate the ethical codes of conducts are more dangerous. They are doing more harm than good for the reputation of journalism and they need to be held accountable.

joy (@joy_osula) | Twitter

I covered an anti slavery protest in London back in december. This was my first encounter with a protest and also my first time of covering a protest as a ‘reporter’. It was definitely an eye opening experience.

Campaign journalism & citizen journalism — The challenges of covering hashtag stories.

Social media hashtag campaigns are foundations for change. We live in a confusing time where a champion of hate is the president of the United States. Women are still having to ask for equal pay and against sexual harassment.
Black people are still asking to be respected and treated as humans by law enforcements.

In an era where the status quo is being questioned. Campaign journalism has a new meaning. It is not just taking a stand to a social issue, it is sparking initiatives to aspire substantial change.

Social media campaigns such as bring back our girls, black lives matter, stop austerity, me too and many more highlight socio political issues faced by females and the mistreatment of marginalised people.

The video above is the white supremacist march in Virginia USA. In 2017, disgusting white nationalism is still a thing of the present. As much as there has been a surge on social media in these past five years on social media campaigns, there has also been a rise of bigotry.

Social media campaigns die out quickly. Once something else is trending, people forget. Journalists should be reminding people about these campaigns, months or even years after they are forgotten. When the momentum has dropped and the trends have dies down, Journalists need to keep on fighting for campaigns.

More than two hundred people marched in an anti slavery protest in London on Saturday the 9th of December.

The protest which was organised by the African Lives Matter movement, was held in light of the news of the atrocious killing, torture and selling of Africans happening in Libya. One of their main missions is to work towards, ‘the total elimination of slavery of African people and those of African descent throughout the world’.

The protest was highly promoted through social media by various public figures such as Naomi Campbell & Cara Delevingne. Youtubers and other influencers also used their platforms to share their outrage on the issue and promote the peaceful protest.

“Libya shame on you, we will not be silent…say no to slavery…” The ardent crowd chanted outside the Libyan embassy.

In previous years, Libya has been flooded by migrants from sub saharan countries hoping to travel to Europe. The United Nations estimates there are now between 700,000 and a million migrants in the country. People who have crossed the Mediterranean have shared horror stories about beatings, kidnappings and enslavement.

There have been outcries and questions on why this is actually possible for a slave trade to happen in modern day 21st century.

“Modern-day slavery is widespread around the world and Libya is by no means unique … But what’s particularly shocking is that this is happening effectively in the open, where people can go to a farmhouse, place a bid and end up ‘owning’ a human being”.

Says Leonard Doyle of the International Organisation of Migration in an interview with Al Jazeera.

Though the news of the Libyan slave trade has been an ongoing coverage for years by media outlets. The news of the slave trade went viral on various social media platforms after a shocking video footage came from CNN, showing the auctioning of two black Africans.

Since then, an online petition with over 200,000 signatures was signed in order for the UK government to put pressure on Libya and to take action to stop enslavement of Black Africans. There will be a debate on the issue on the 18th of December in the UK parliament.

“So you are going to be on TV?” — I get asked this question a lot. I usually answer with a nervous chuckle and never seem to say yes or no because…well, you never know!

It is often amusing how people automatically think the indication of a successful journalist is being on TV. Newsflash people, broadcast journalism is dying! Print is like a sick middle aged man, and digital journalism…well she is a full grown adult now.

It is no argument that digital media has changed the game of journalism. Gone are the days were Journalists had to go out to source stories, fact check through various mediums, write the story then have to go through an editor. The uprising of online journalism is shaking the table on traditional journalism. The ways by which journalists report stories is very different now. With the aid of new media, the news gathering and writing process is slightly easier and quicker. However, the competition is much higher…

Spambots, fake news and news sensationalism.

In the age of the spread of fake news by spam bots, news sensationalism and internet virility, I have learnt about the need of good journalism. With the rise of the likes of Trump, Europes’ political conundrum, the middle East / North Africa dilemma and the rest of the world being misrepresented in news story telling. There is a critical need for accurate news reporting.

In a study of the way fake news is spread, it was found that more than 122 sites were automated accounts, created to routinely spread fake news. The role of fake news is not to be undermined, with it playing a major part in the 2016 American presidential election.

I am often told that journalism is the process of quality news gathering; that journalists are the gate keepers of truth, that I as a journalist hold the responsibility in unpacking and dissecting important information to the public. My journey so far has questioned this. After looking at tens and hundreds of articles, it is safe to say that journalists these days seem to be the gatekeepers of CLICKBAIT. News has become what can quickly sell and gain traffic. Journalists know that sensationalism sells and they use this to their advantage.

Articles (especially on tabloid news papers) are mostly based on celebrity tweets / instagram posts. Readers are pulled in by shocking headlines and writers are trapped in the cycle of providing these entertaining pieces to keep their readership.

What I learnt about local newspapers — a platform for lazy or little investigative journalism.

I also learnt that most local newspapers do not bother to do much investigation before writing a story. Only elite sources are used in most stories, sources that only confirm the journalist’s agenda for that matter. Local newspapers will also go out of their way to negatively portray most local businesses. Success stories seem like a thing of the past, sensationalised and criminal stories are what are mostly on the top news segment.

The rise of citizen journalism and importance of social media in journalism.

Social media has become more than a place to share endless selfies and videos. It is has become a platform where ordinary people can tell their own stories and report on live news as they are happening. Journalists can now also source, verify and promote their stories through social media. One news agency that does this very well is Buzzfeed, their sourcing of news from viral posts and trending topics is well known on twitter.

The importance of algorithms — getting the right story to the right audience.

Digital media has changed the game. I now understand the key role algorithms play in driving traffic to articles on the internet. I could have the best story but if it isn’t being picked up by the algorithms and delivered to the right audience, my story will become stale.

Reducing the noise rather than adding to it — We need diversity in journalism now more than ever.

We must avoid the danger of the single story. Humans are complex beings and so are our stories. We need to tell stories in ways that reflect the truth rather than painting them in one big red brush. Telling the ‘other side of the story’ is important now more than ever regardless of what medium you are writing for.