Day 2 at the B&FT

22-10-10

Shortly after arriving at work, I was told to go on assignment with a journalist named Leslie. We hopped into a cab outside and I tried to find out from Leslie what the assignment was but he said he didn’t know, only that it was at a Shell petrol station near the main airport. In less than twenty minutes, we were there.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Lesley asked a worker what was going on and we were directed to a spokeswoman nearby. She quickly explained that today was Shell Customer Safety Day and that all of Shell’s Ghana staff had been deployed to its petrol stations to inform customers about road safety. As she said this and I caught sight of a dozen Shell employees all wearing bright red t-shirts, I felt my adrenaline drop. I spotted a list on a nearby table with a dozen media organisations listed and their contact details. It was nothing more than a PR event. The spokeswoman pointed at a nearby Shell manager and said that we could speak to him if we wished, and so we accepted.

Leslie, 23, and quite new to journalism himself, asked me to help him come up with some questions to ask Omar V. Benson, Shell’s managing director. We brainstormed for a few minutes and devised a list.

Leslie conducted the interview and our questions all received the same well rehearsed lines that were designed to highlight Shell’s corporate social responsibility. Before long, we hailed a cab to return to the office.

In the taxi, I chatted with Leslie about the event and was surprised to see Leslie totally embrace Shell’s agenda. People don’t really wear seat belts in Ghana and that had been one of the recommendations. Leslie tried to buckle his but not unusually in Ghana, it didn’t work. Leslie suggested the driver try his and the driver merely laughed back, not taking the idea seriously.

Back in the office, Lesley asked me if I would write up the story. I worked with the managing director’s remarks and a press release Shell had provided us with and starting work my first article. I managed somewhere between 250 and 300 words, got it in by the 4pm deadline and the deputy editor was happy with it.

So, on Monday - assuming my article stays put in the box I left it in and the editor himself doesn’t raise any objection to what I’ve written – I’ll have my first piece published. It’s not a groundbreaking news story but nevertheless, I found it interesting to write and am excited by the prospect of appearing in a newspaper! I’m happy with the subject matter too, as road safety is a serious issue in Ghana and one that needs more attention, irrespective of where it comes from.