Soiled palm and tainted conscience: Influence of demographic variables on the perception of Nigerian journalists on freebies and gratifications

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of demographic variables on the perception of Nigerian journalists about freebies and gratifications, their perception of the role of news sources on the phenomenon, contributions of the media organizations as well as societal influence on journalist corruption. Anchored on the political economy of news sourcing and the Need theory, the study adopted survey method to generate its data. Questionnaires were administered on 120 randomly sampled journalists in the South West zone of Nigeria. Data were analyzed with SPSS statistical tools and findings revealed a strong linkage between the economic status of the journalists and their predisposition to accepting freebies and gratifications. The study also found that media organizations had been passive in addressing journalist corruption because of their poor wage system. Media corruption was also found to be influenced by graft in the larger society while it was discovered that corruption was a two-way affair between journalists and news sources. The study concluded that until the socioeconomic conditions that fuel media corruption were tackled, quest for professionalism and ethical journalism would continue to be a mirage.