Lanre Alfred: The day I was nearly lured to death

One of Nigeria’s leading celebrity journalists, Lanre Alfred, has left THISDAY. He speaks on his career, inspirations and The Capital, the online celebrity journal he is about to unveil.

What sparked your interest in celebrity journalism?

My interest in society journalism otherwise known as celebrity journalism was cultivated early in my childhood. As a youngster, my integration into larger society hardly occurred by reading. I learned a lot by watching and listening. It was fascinating to listen to the words that flowed through people’s minds and leapt from their mouths. It was even more interesting to watch people give life to their utterances by their actions and inactions which were oftentimes precipitated by the purpose and intensity of their words. Much of the watching and listening I engaged in happened at home and outside my home; it was a very rich experience to me as a kid. While my peers obsessed about the next best prank or menacing hoax, I fixated on the adult world. It was a rich experience that exposed me to different worlds, a colourful mix of intrigues and episodes that manifested as if it were a theatre – new characters walked in and out, conflicts arose, conversations got interpreted and misinterpreted giving rise to a range of actions that thought me to see the world through any prism but a tunnel vision. The experience was enriching and not very far removed from the theatrics of the most captivating literary masterpiece or classic movie. So you see, my background was vocal.

My evolution through those impressionable years had great bearing on the adult I became. As a young adult, I fell in love with society journalism at my encounter with Gay Talese, the Italian-American journalist notable for his impressive contribution to the 1960s new journalism. The piece that endeared me to Talese and celebrity journalism was the one he did in the winter of 1965. Gay Talese had arrived in Los Angeles, USA, with an assignment from Esquire Magazine to profile the late music genius, Frank Sinatra. Sinatra was clocking 50, feeling sick and unwilling to be interviewed. So Talese remained in LA, hoping Sinatra would recover and go back over his initial refusal to grant Talese an interview. Talese reportedly started ferreting information from Sinatra’s associates, staff, groupies and family members even as he closely observed the late music genius. Eventually, his persistence paid off and he got his exclusive entitled, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” The feature article was published in 1966 and went on to became one of the most celebrated magazine stories ever published, a revolutionary example of what came to be called new journalism. I remember the way Esquire introduced the story: “A work of rigorously faithful fact enlivened with the kind of vivid storytelling that had previously been reserved for fiction. The piece conjures a deeply rich portrait of one of the era’s most guarded figures and tells a larger story about entertainment, celebrity, and America itself. We’re very pleased to republish it here.” Reading Talese and the encomium that his effort garnered, I wanted to write like him. I wanted to write better than he did. I developed inexorable thirst to tell not one or two great stories similar to Talese; it was and it still is, my intention to out-write him and outclass him.

It was said that in your beginning days you would tour different clubs on foot to monitor the high society’s kids even their parents. True?

Well, it was an indisputable reality of my job that I had to embed myself in the social radar of high society. I had to do so in order to do factual reportage.

How has that paid off today?

I am still counting my blessings. There is no limit to benefits I enjoy today because I started out by paying my dues, from the scratch. Rather I pioneered the introduction of celebrity journalism into mainstream newspaper journalism. When I joined THISDAY Newspaper, no mainstream title had room for Celebrity Journalism or the now ubiquitous Society Pages but no sooner than I pioneered it in THISDAY Newspaper, the bug caught on amongst rival news publications and went on to become a burgeoning trend in the annals of hardsell newspaper journalism. With total humility… without a smidgen of arrogance, I believe I should own that. At the time I started out as a celebrity journalist, there were many other journalists and friends of mine actively engaged in the practice. My mentors are Dr. Seye Kehinde,  the publisher of City People, Mr Olakunle Bakare, Encomium Magazine,  Mr. Mayor Akinpelu,  Global Excellence and Chief Dele Momodu, Ovation International publisher.

Was it ever life threatening making public the private life of the high society?

A few sad scary experiences here and there; for instance, there was a Sunday morning that one very popular and filthy rich socialite called me. The lady asked me to stretch out my hands for prayer and promptly I did but I was shocked when she started hauling heavy curses at me instead of prayer. I had to end the call. Although she later called to apologise for her behaviour when she realised that I had factual information to substantiate sequels to my initial report involving her. In another incident, I was invited over the phone to a party on Victoria Island by one of my presumed friends in high society. On getting to the venue, I realised that it was deserted, there was nothing happening there but when I called him, he said that I should come inside the main building, claiming that the party was happening inside. Luckily, I heard someone whispering to him that he should lure me inside very quickly at the background while he seemed to cover the phone’s mouthpiece to whisper back to the person: “Chill! Chill! Take it easy, guy. He is already here. He can’t escape.” Promptly, I did a cartwheel, punching the security guard at the gate out of the way. I have received death threats from several people over stories I did. Some of them ended up being my friends while many others choose to remain enemies. You see, the world of a society journalist, particularly one who seeks to apply himself diligently and honestly to the job, could be extremely dicey and dangerous.

 Did it ever get personal at a point?

Yes, it did get personal on several occasions as I explained in my response to your preceding question.

What sparked your resignation from THISDAY?

I resigned from THISDAY because I needed to move on. I believe I am that stage in my life at which I have to stop working to build someone else’s dream and apply myself to my dreams. However, my experience at THISDAY is one that will always keep me indebted to the management and staff of the organization. I remain particularly indebted to the newspaper’s founder and publisher Nduka Obaigbena a.k.a. The Cicero. Mr. Obaigbena will always remain to me, a great brother and mentor. He has done things for me and assisted me in ways only a loving brother could treat his beloved sibling. But I am just so grateful and happy that he understands and accepted my reason for resigning at the time I did.

What is next after that?

The Capital. Nigeria should watch out for The Capital. It is an online publication with focus on business, politics and lifestyle of Nigeria’s high society and nouveau riche. The Capital is a liberal Nigerian online news aggregator and blog founded to offer original content spanning politics, business, lifestyle, entertainment, environment, technology, popular media, culture, comedy, healthy living, high society gist, local and international news. The Capital is well attuned to the preferences of both genders functioning at the highest and most impressive levels of endeavour with total dedication to the finest journalism ethical practice and commitment to the perpetuation of the collective good.

You published a book. How did that turn out?

It was fulfilling. And right now, I am in the process of completing and churning out my second book which has been acknowledged as a worthy improvement on High life, my first book.

What is your best achievement as a society writer?

I am in the process of recording my best as a society writer. In fact, I will always be in the process of enacting my best and that is because everyday offers to me, a fresh chance to up my ante and best my most recent record or achievement in my field of endeavour.

What is the future of celebrity journalism in the country?

I have to categorically state here that there is a lot that is wrong with celebrity journalism practice today. Without any attempt at being self-righteous, I think I could say that I am worried about the decline of celebrity journalism in this country. This might not do enough to draw attention to the problem but I hope it strikes the right chord in every Celebrity Journalist out there. To see what I am reacting against, I suggest you pick up the latest issue of any soft sell magazine or mainstream newspaper with the ubiquitous “Society” pages or section.

On the cover, you would probably find the picture of an actress, musician or high class escort or commercial sex worker posing as an ornament from the Nigerian high society. That character is always on the cover of any magazine she appears in: it’s an integral part of the celebrity-wrangling process. But usually the tradition is to give her more than just the cover: oftentimes we get to make her into the “Celebrity Female of the Year.” The same goes for any such character of the opposite gender. Turn to the cover story, and it begins with this sentence: If you don’t know who so-so person is, the only explanation is that you’ve been living on another planet for the past few years. And it doesn’t get any better, believe me. It’s hard to convey the sheer awfulness of this piece without quoting it in full, but suffice to say that the mind-numbing torrent of superlatives, the stream of dubious assertions and dreadful prose combine to create an article only the so-called celebrity and her publicist could love.

The celebrity’s publicist certainly gave copy approval, of course, and the piece carries the by-line of a very senior celebrity journalist who presumably could have done better if it hadn’t been dictated to him or her by a talentless flack. But this is the sort of stuff which really makes the public suspicious of journalists’ ethics.

But if that doesn’t get you, wait till you see how so-called celebrities and members of the ‘high society’ disgrace presumed high flying celebrity journalists. It’s very sad to note that many times, many a celebrity have called celebrity reporters and writers to inform them about an her impending house-warming party or her child’s graduation party only to turn around and ignore them at the venue. At times, such characters, even after inviting the journalists disown them at the venue and order security operatives on watch to bundle the shamed journalists out of the venue. One would think that for a so-called celebrity to invite a journalist to cover an event, he or she would accord him optimum audience and respect. After all, most so-called celebrities pay their caterers and planners handsomely whereas the journalist who would inform the whole world about it comes to work for free.

More worrisome is the fact that even after suffering such abhorrent treatment, the celebrity journalist end up singing the praises of his tormentor to high heavens using superlatives carelessly on a character that is least deserving of it. Such shameless attitude to the job remains the bane of celebrity journalism and the reason why in my over 10 years of practice, I am yet to chance on an epoch in which the celebrity journalist is paid his due respect.

It’s time we looked inside ourselves and decide the direction of our careers; our guiding principle should be the quality of our work. I would not advise a child of mine to go into journalism today, particularly celebrity journalism, unless they were sure of what they were doing. In the words of many immortal grandmothers, “Do yourself a favour and get a real job. Who needs the trouble?”

What do you seek to achieve with The Capital?

Critics of celebrity journalism often claim to have very good reasons to look at every celebrity journalist they come across with contempt and it’s plausible that this stems from too many ethical violations that at the end portray most celebrity journalists as familiar fiends adept only at superficial coverage of everything. I got into this profession thinking of it as a mission and I still currently see it as an opportunity to adhere to and ennoble the highest standards in professional celebrity journalism. With The Capital, I seek to practice unbiased and fact-based journalism; keeping in mind the need to satisfy the needs of Nigeria’s upscale, intelligent and sophisticated demographic. The purpose is to emphasize that whether you’re a celebrity or not, the profession and art of celebrity journalism is universal and very important. There is no way to emphasize my vision and sojourn with Nigeria’s rich and famous than this effort. I do not seek to demean or canonize any individual with impact neither do I seek to glamourise my access to Nigeria and some of Africa’s most powerful players, each person featured by The Capital will simply fit with the clarity of the intention and the finest journalism practice. Reportage about them one way or the other will help shape and retain focus on my philosophy of journalism. And what is my philosophy? I advocate a kind of journalism that couldn’t be blamed for disrupting traditional media, even as it grows and improves its breadth in profound ways. I advocate a journalism practice that seeks to truly inform and entertain rather than one that perverts our vision and ruins it. I seek to achieve this with an inquisitive eye and a startup mentality while remaining deeply committed to our traditional media values and standards. Conscientious practice brings joys and challenges. It’s very rewarding to produce quality content that attracts a growing audience – and to do so efficiently. It’s all part of navigating the intersection of the news business and the exploding world of social media. The Capital is here for good and with immeasurable humility and all things that has to do with Lanre Alfred, it will start blazing a trail in due time.