It took me many moons to publish this episode (Mercy and I actually talked back in September 2021). Finally, I can share this interview with Mercy Abang! She is a Nigerian journalist living in Berlin. About 5 years ago, I met her in Bonn at a workshop at Deutsche Welle. She has freelanced for the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, BBC and the Columbia Journalism School, among others. She just started working at Hostwriter as one of two managing directors. Congratulations!
In this episode, we talk about the Twitter ban in Nigeria and what this means for the civic online space and journalism, we cover the challenges of being an entrepreneur and we discuss in how far journalists should embrace technology. She gives us a glimpse of what's important to her and how she prioritizes her work and her life.
Some key takeaways:
- Social media platforms help journalists with marketing and distribution and should be used accordingly. Having the right content is simply not enough.
- However, journalists should not just focus on one platform. The more you increase the visibility on other platforms the better and when one falls flat (as we saw in Nigeria), you can rely on others. Diversify your distribution strategy.
- Don't underestimate the importance of VPN and other technological opportunities to ensure free speech.
- Mercy decided to go back to business school. Why? We have to start looking at money. as a journalist, you have to know business. As a journalist, you need an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Content creation is more than a buzzword for gen z.
- Platforms like facebook and Google take a new role/position in the media ecosystem and changes how individual journalists can position themselves within that ecosystem.
- We have no idea how the future of the media look like.
- Journalists should embrace innovation and not fight it. Journalists should adapt to innovation and not fight it.
- Everybody has become a journalist, everyobody has become a storyteller, everyobody has become a content creator, everybody has become a broadcaster.
- Mercy expects more journalists to think outside the box and say ... the world is changing.
More links:
Welcome to the international edition of my podcast Rath.hub. I am your host Linda Rath and I interview entrepreneurs who I admire and look up to. I want to know more about their business AND: What drives them? What inspires them? I believe you need so much more than just talent and skills to be successful in business. So, let's find out what secrets our entrepreneurs will reveal to us.
If you have any questions or want to share some thoughts, feel free to contact me via Twitter @Lynda420. I am your host Linda Rath and I am looking forward to connecting with you in my next episode.
This episode is brought to you by
Media Tech Hub Potsdam. It is one of 12 digital hubs in Germany, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy – and the only one with a focus on MediaTech. it encompasses a working space, an accelerator and an annual conference and i highly recommend you check it out if you want to start a business and look for networking opportunities. I am an entrepreneur myself and our startup Vragments used to be located at the media tech lab in Potsdam.
Credits:
- Produced by Linda Rath
- Photo Mercy Abang by Mercy Abang
- Photo Linda Rath by Stefan Walter for Causalux Fotos
- Podcast Cover by Nicole Koppe
- Episode Cover Art by Stephan Gensch
- Music/Jingles by Mara Niese
