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In some of your editions, you carried a public enlightenment advert on your company’s policy on gifts to your reporters entitled "No Thank You". I commend you for adopting it.
I must however admit that when I first read it, I was skeptical about its use as far as my experiences as once a practising journalist showed. After four years of active life in journalism, I was glad to get a job in the public relations department of one of the blue chip companies that manufactures beverages. I remained there for 22 years before I retired to set up my own private media consultancy firm. I know how poorly paid journalists are which was why I left mainstream journalism to take up a job in a solid company where the pay was good and I did not have to violate professional ethics to survive. The poor pay makes it difficult for reporters to turn down gifts. We used to call it PR or welfare. I tried not to collect these hand outs but we have had heated debates at the press centres about it. Some of my colleagues, and they are in the majority, believe that it is not wrong to take gifts offered by clients which you did not request for but were given as complimentary gifts. This school of thought believes that it is alright to collect ‘transport money’ given to journalists by clients after covering their events, after all it was unsolicited and was provided mainly to facilitate mobility of reporters. My dear Ombudswoman, your company’s policy is a step forward to check ‘brown envelope’ syndrome but is it being implemented to the letter? Beyond Media Trust, what can we do to make it the rule in all media organisations rather than the exception? Musa Isa Darussalam Consultants
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GIFTS: No Thank You!!! I commend you for raising an issue that is very important to all citizens. From our clients to journalism practitioners, media professional bodies, reporters, editors, newspaper proprietors and even academics who teach journalism and mass communications at various institutions. It is such an important issue that must be thoroughly discussed .However given this column’s space constraints; I want to discuss the different dimensions of the issue in the next couple of weeks. My first response will be to outline what the Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists expects of us and also highlight the content of Media Trust’ policy on gift-taking for the benefit of those who might not have seen it. Since you are interested in knowing whether the company’s management is implementing it to the letter, I will seek the opinion of the key staff that are in a position to monitor the implementation of the policy .You also challenged us to explore means of extending this policy to other media organisations. This is an issue journalism professional bodies will have to take up. As an arbiter I will be interested in knowing what other media organisations feel about developing a company policy on gifts. Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists Our Code of Ethics was a consensus document produced through the collective effort of Nigerian journalists united under the Nigerian Press Organisation NPO. The NPO comprise the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, the Nigerian Guild of Editors NGE, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria NPAN and the Nigerian Press Council whose work of adjudication relies strictly on the code. Section 7 of the Code titled Reward and Gratification states: i) A journalist should neither solicit nor accept bribe, gratification or patronage to suppress or publish information. ii) To demand payment for the publication of news is inimical to the notion of news as a fair, accurate and unbiased and factual report of an event. Media Trust Policy on Gift-taking The company’s policy was developed in line with journalism’s Code of Ethics. It states: It is the policy of the Media Trust that its editors and reporters should not accept a gift from those they encounter in the course of their work. Where such a gift can be graciously declined, we expect our staff to do so. However, where it is pressed on them, they should declare it so that the company can write a letter thanking the giver, while returning the gift. We have an in house policy of rewarding staff who keep to the straight and narrow path, in an environment of all engulfing sleaze. You can assist us by reporting anyone who claims to be our staff, yet engages in such unethical conduct. Response from Media Trust Management As a matter of fact, the company’s management is implementing the ‘No Thank You Policy, to the letter. Our editors are making the best effort to see that all staff toe the line. It is as part of the effort to entrench the culture of ‘No Thank You’ that a staff who received a car gift from a governor was shown the way out. Only practical steps like the above can discourage the act and the company is determined to pursue it. Besides, since the company began its operations it has been paying very competitive salaries and allowances to staff promptly. Such salaries and allowances which may not be as high as what obtains in some blue chip companies, are reviewed periodically to reflect current cost of living. It is obvious that we may not be able to make our ‘No Thank You Policy’ a rule in the whole media industry in Nigeria. What we continue to do is publicise our ‘No Thank You Policy’ in our newspapers and implement it to the letter within our company with the hope that the society will be sensitised enough to rebuff people who demand for gratification. We equally hope other media organisations will follow suit.
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