Testimony Ishola
(She/Her)
Nigeria
Covers:
Gender | Advocacy | Governance | Politics | Accountability and Transparency | Culture | Economy | Entertainment
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
With NFM news in 2024.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, in junior secondary school.
How is social media changing news?
It helps news spread faster, helps find more sources, and helps news become more interactive. However, misinformation spreads more too.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Robin Scherbatsky from "How I met your mother".
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be able to do your job and report as objectively as you can; to recognise what needs to be addressed and do it in all truth, even in fear.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I cannot recollect.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Straight to the point.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs, Flourish, Data wrapper, Google Sheet, Google Meet and search engines.
What's your favorite social network?
X (formerly Twitter) but it is a personal page for only close friends.
Who do you wish followed you?
Nobody. I am very private about my social media.
Why did you become a journalist?
My heart was in it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My high school did not have a newspaper, so no.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The child marriage story I wrote as a data journalist with Dataphyte.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If your heart is not in it, do not bother. You will save yourself a lot of heartache and mental stress.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Feel free to pitch me anytime.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I cannot disclose.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I do not have one.
What's your favorite drink?
Currently, a Sprite and on some nights, Bacardi.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my bed (sleeping), watching a sitcom or a MCU movie.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Honestly, random Substacks, Medium posts, Zikoko stories, and occasionally, the New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Our sole aim is to tear the government apart; it actually is to report the truth.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.