SECTOR 4 Poor working conditions are generally blamed for the rampant corruption in the media. “The system has created the environment for journalists to be corrupt,” said one panellist. Journalists and NGOs have been advocating better working conditions in the industry for years. State media journalists go on strike often to demand better pay and the “monetisation” of benefits such as housing. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.3 (2008 = n/a) 4.9 Media professionals have access to training facilities offering formal qualification programmes as well as opportunities to upgrade skills. Almost all the major state and private universities, as well as the polytechnics, have journalism departments which attract tens of thousands of students every year. An increasing number of privately run post-secondary institutions also offer formal journalism training across the country. With the advent of the Internet, distance learning and online training has also become more accessible. Journalists also have numerous opportunities for on-the-job training both at home and abroad. Media houses run in-house training and mentoring programmes. Some, like the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) run well-established training institutions, primarily for in-house training of their staff, They are, however, increasingly taking in journalists from other newsrooms. Some journalists are enrolled in schools as part-time students. NGOs also conduct regular training workshops for working journalists, who also have numerous opportunities to grow their experience through seminars, workshops and fellowships. So many opportunities abound, that one panellist believed that “it is difficult to find a journalist who has worked for four years without undergoing some kind of training.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2011 53