By Olumide Adeleye
2015 was a big year for Nigeria: it was the year of federal and state elections. With many predicting that these were the break-or-make elections for Africa’s most populous country, political gladiators did all they could to take over the reins of power. Politicians, who needed their public images laundered, engaged in an unprecedented scale of mudslinging. As a result, the press became a crucial part of the election build-up and before long, accusations on the exchange of brown envelopes arose.
Brown envelope journalism refers to the presentation of monetary gifts to journalists or media houses by parties, who have a stake in the publication (or otherwise). It is not uncommon in the developing world. In Nigeria, it is one of the most controversial subjects among journalists. While many agree it is a form of bribery, there are some opposite views on the matter.
“There is nothing like that,” says Aanuoluwapo Omorinde, a Nigerian broadcast journalist. “It is a culture, a Nigerian culture and is not peculiar to journalists only. If people visit you at home and you offer them money for their transport fare, it’s not as if they are being bribed to do or kill a story.”
Aanuoluwapo is referring to a tradition in many parts of Nigeria where kola (a nut used for entertainment of guests) must be offered to visitors as a show of hospitality. He believes that when journalists cover stories and are given “brown envelopes,” it often is mere “transport fare” and is not meant to influence media coverage.
But what if the “kola” amounts to thick wads of currency notes?
Print journalist Olawale Franklin presents a different angle. “Journalists in Nigeria are not well paid,” he says. “What is paid is not commensurate with the work one does. This tends to influence the journalist to abandon certain ethics. Remember that they are also the breadwinners of their families. It all boils down to the individual, though. I uphold the ethics of the profession regardless of whose ox is gored.”
Another print journalist, Yinka Adeniran, relates the brown envelope issue to giving a tip to a waiter at a coffee shop. He disagrees that it has any impact on the final story. “If I give a tip to the waiter, it is not so that he can give me extra coffee or sugar. I have carried out some research on this and discovered, that if your story is not good enough, an envelope cannot get it published.”
Yinka, however agrees that journalists are generally poorly paid. “You can imagine a situation, where you are not paid for months and sometimes years,” he says, “It (journalism) is not a profession you want to come into just because of the pay. If you see people thriving in this profession, it is because of the passion they have for it.”
Yinka’s argument indeed brings to mind a widely publicized story about one of the largest broadcast organizations in Nigeria, which was alleged to have received billions of Naira in payment to mudsling the presidential candidate and leaders of a political party during the 2015 elections. More mind boggling, however, was the revelation that this large media outfit owed staff salaries running into almost one year.
Yinka suggests that government should regulate entrepreneurs seeking to venture into the business of journalism. He suggests that there must be minimum business capital requirements and strict employment codes to ensure that their staff of journalists are well taken care of.
Similarly, Aanuoluwapo advocates for better salaries and life insurance for journalists. “Media proprietors and executives should be ready to pay good money,” he says. He also believes that journalists deserve better recognition for their daring efforts.
