SECTOR 4 4.4 Journalists and other media practitioners are organised in trade unions and/or professional associations, which effectively represent their interests. Several media trade unions and professional associations exist in Nigeria. Unions are recognised as representatives of journalists and often engage with employers to resolve labour dispute. The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is considered the most powerful media organisation in the country. It is organised so that no segment of the landscape is left out. The smallest unit of the union is the Chapel, which functions at the newsroom level. The union then has national executives and State Councils. Among other actions, the NUJ has on several occasions intervened to demand for the payment of journalists’ salary arrears. . It is unconstitutional for employers to prevent their employees from joining unions. Nonetheless, some news organisations, such as The Punch newspaper, Channels Television and Leadership newspaper are not unionised. 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: 4.0 (2008: 4.6; 2011: 4.3) 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. Corruption in the Nigerian media is still widespread. Journalists generally receive and even demand “brown envelops” and gifts – including expensive cars – from newsmakers in exchange for favourable reporting. A common practice is a form of blackmail in which journalists and sometimes editors demand huge compensation to “kill” or alter damaging reports. The “planting” of stories in newspapers is another common practice, which often involves the top management of media organisations. “Some journalists actually put themselves out for sale,” according to a panellist. Another panellist said “people are willing to give up their integrity for money and other favours.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2015 51