Brief profile of NEWSWATCH magazine

Newswatch is a Nigerian weekly news
magazine published by Newswatch
Communications Limited in Nigeria .
Newswatch' s weekly print run can be as
high as 100,000 copies.

[1]
Newswatch was formed by Nigerian
journalists Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese
and Yakubu Mohammed in 1984, and the
first edition was distributed on 28 January
1985.

[2] A 1989 description of the magazine
said it "changed the format of print
journalism in Nigeria [and] introduced bold,
investigative formats to news reporting in
Nigeria".

[3] However, in the first few months
of the administration of General Ibrahim
Babangida, who took power in August 1985,
the magazine was shamelessly flattering. It
printed his face on the cover four times and
even criticized "anyone who attempted to
make life unpleasant for Babangida".

[4]
Giwa, the first editor-in-chief of Newswatch ,
was killed by a mail bomb in his home on 19
October 1986. The magazine was forced to
shut down for six months from April 1987 by
the Babangida administration for publishing
information from what seemed to be a
harmless government White Paper. [2]
Newswatch named Babangida "Man of the
Year" (1989), and Babangida appointed Alex
Akinyele, a Newswatch Director, as his
information minister. [2] In June 1992 the
government expelled a journalist from the
Financial Times who had written an article
criticizing government use of oil money.
Although papers such as Concord and The
Guardian were critical, Newswatch remained
silent.

[5]
As of 1996 the magazine was said to have a
circulation of 150,000 copies in Africa,
Europe and North America.

[3] Prominent
directors included Chief Tony Momoh ,
Otunba Mike Adenuga and Chief Alex
Akinyele.

[6] In December 2010 the magazine
celebrated its 25th anniversary at a
ceremony in Lagos. The magazine gave out
a book Jogging in the Jungle: The
Newswatch Story to attendees. Former
Ogun State Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba
presided as chairman.

[7]
On 8 May 2011 it was announced that 51%
of the shares of Newswatch
Communications Limited had been
purchased by Global Media Mirror Ltd,
publishers of the National Mirror and owned
by Jimoh Ibrahim. Ibrahim had taken over
as executive chairman, replacing Alex
Akinyele.

[8] Bala Dan Abu, executive editor,
was given responsibility for building up the
editorial team. The new owner was to pay
off all debts and pay the backlog of seven
months of staff salary. [9]
References

1. ^ "NEWSWATCH Nigeria's weekly
newsmagazine" . Nigerian Investment .
Retrieved 2011-05-13.

2. ^ a b c Ndaeyo Uko (2004). Romancing
the gun: the press as promoter of military
rule . Africa World Press. p. 100.
ISBN 1-59221-189-5 .

3. ^ a b James Phillip Jeter (1996).
International Afro mass media: a reference
guide . Greenwood Publishing Group.
p. 30. ISBN 0-313-28400-8 .

4. ^ Lyn S. Graybill, Kenneth W. Thompson,
White Burkett Miller Center (1998). Africa's
second wave of freedom: development,
democracy, and rights . University Press of
America. p. 150. ISBN 0-7618-1071-4 .

5. ^ Ayo Olukotun (2004). Repressive state
and resurgent media under Nigeria's military
dictatorship, 1988-98 . Nordic Africa
Institute. p. 79. ISBN 91-7106-524-5 .
6. ^ "JIMOH IBRAHIM BUYS
NEWSWATCH" . Nigerian News Daily. 7
May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-13.

7. ^ "Participants laud Newswatch at book
launch" . Vanguard (Nigeria) . 9 December
2010. Retrieved 2011-05-13.

8. ^ Chris Ajaero--~~~~ (8 May 2011).
"Newswatch In New Hands" . Newswatch .
Retrieved 2011-05-13.

9. ^ Olasunkanmi Akoni (5 May 2011).
"Jimoh Ibrahim Acquires Newswatch
Magazine" . Vanguard (Nigeria) . Retrieved
2011-05-13.

Source -Wikipedia