FOREWORD The relevance of the media in democracy is undisputed. Media freedom is a fundamental political freedom, based on the right to free speech. The media sets the stage for public discussion, and undertakes to be a watchdog of government action. But media freedom is a fragile good, and journalists are particularly exposed to threats. They operate at the frontlines of a battle for political power that is often waged with deadly weapons. Censorship, harassment and imprisonment of journalists and political control of news outlets are some of the most often cited dangers to a free media. Reports about killings of journalists frequently shock the public. Less often cited is the overall working and welfare situation of journalists. However, the freedom from fear and want is one of the four fundamental human freedoms that US President Franklin D. Roosevelt emphasized in 1941. Without it being granted, a country can have perfect media laws, it can establish codes of conducts for journalists and boost media plurality – all this is fundamentally endangered if journalists operate under conditions of fear and deprivation. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has therefore partnered with the International Press Center to assess the working and welfare situation of journalists in Nigeria and to discuss ways towards improving these. We feel that without an open discourse about the grievances that journalists face in their daily lives, and without addressing the issues of social protection, collective bargaining and welfare in Nigeria's media world, all deliberations on media freedom are deficient. We believe that these issues greatly impact on the independence and the freedom of journalists. No independent reporting is possible without a minimum of material and social protection, since journalists will be vulnerable to intimidation, bribery and control. The FES is an independent German non-profit organization committed to the promotion of Social Democracy. We have commenced our activities in Nigeria in the early 1970s here on the premises of the UNILAG. Our work in Africa has a strong media focus since we appreciate the importance of media for Africa's still emerging democracies. Our office in Namibia is a clearinghouse for our media work. This office coordinates the Africa Media Barometer that we have conducted in 2008 for Nigeria and that we will reassess next year. The website of this FES media project can be found at www.fesmedia.org