Brown envelop syndrome （BES） has remained a controversial issue in any debate centred on the Nigerian press, media professionalism and media ethics. It is one of the major setbacks of media growth in Nigeria. BES is...Brown envelop syndrome （BES） has remained a controversial issue in any debate centred on the Nigerian press, media professionalism and media ethics. It is one of the major setbacks of media growth in Nigeria. BES is a system whereby journalists collect money or other material gifts from news sources, company executives or event organizers to cover such events and probably give it the wildest publicity as the case may be. It symbolizes the rot that has plagued the Nigerian media industry since the early 1980s to date. This paper therefore builds from an empirical study by the same authors, as well as literature materials to argue that media professionalism and the enforcement of the various ethical codes that preach professionalism are the practical ways to ensure ethical conduct and behaviour amongst journalists and other categories of media practitioners, especially in Nigeria where these are missing. This, according to the paper, is the missing link in the quest to rid the media industry in Nigeria from the monster called BES.展开更多
文摘Brown envelop syndrome （BES） has remained a controversial issue in any debate centred on the Nigerian press, media professionalism and media ethics. It is one of the major setbacks of media growth in Nigeria. BES is a system whereby journalists collect money or other material gifts from news sources, company executives or event organizers to cover such events and probably give it the wildest publicity as the case may be. It symbolizes the rot that has plagued the Nigerian media industry since the early 1980s to date. This paper therefore builds from an empirical study by the same authors, as well as literature materials to argue that media professionalism and the enforcement of the various ethical codes that preach professionalism are the practical ways to ensure ethical conduct and behaviour amongst journalists and other categories of media practitioners, especially in Nigeria where these are missing. This, according to the paper, is the missing link in the quest to rid the media industry in Nigeria from the monster called BES.
