—The Case of Mike Jabateh
One reporter who entered my newsroom empty-head and left dull and incompetent during the period 2003 to 2006 was Mike Jabateh. He was one of seven young reporters coming right out of high school that I trained.
They were recruited the same time. In the picture below I have selected just five of the seven, including Mike to make a point.
1) Jamesetta Horace: She developed so fast that Morris Dukuly took her away from me after two years. Today Jamesetta is in the United States doing well.
2) Nathaniel Daygbor: This is one of the reporters who followed the lead and instructions and today he a big journalist in our country, and one of the leaders of the reporters in Liberia.He has written his name in the annals of journalism.
3) Ora Garway: This reporter defied all odds, learned well and became media manager later.
4) Fred Mills: This reporter covered several beats and rose to work for UNMIL media department and now lives a dignified life.
5) Mike Jabateh: This reporter was so dull, he learned nothing, he ran away from Analyst and went to another newspaper. The dropped him. He came back to me and I still continued training him.
Today, Mike Jabateh cannot work in any newsroom because he still does not know how to write the lead paragraph of a story. So He is on Facebook speaking English-mixed-with Mandingo insulting everyone he disagrees with.
Mike which one of these reporters you write better than?
Watch out for part two.