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Media Roundtable on The Working and Welfare Situation of Journalists in Nigeria : a report
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(ii) Almost all States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory have either Radio or Television station or both. The laws setting these stations are often dissimilar. Consequently, the conditions of services of their workers, which include journalists, are often different. (iii) The Private owned Station which came up with the deregulation of the broadcasting in Nigeria in 1992, are normally run as Limited Liability Companies. However, DAAR Communications Plc is owned by shareholders. Some private owned Radio and Television stations are run as one man business, or Sole Proprietors. All these variations of ownership also affect the conditions of service of their staff, which include journalists. What should be the ideal condition of Service of a Working Journalist? Collin Barrow in his write-up, Managing Resources, notes thatTo evaluate a job, look at each position and assess it against a range of factors such as complexity, qualifications, skills, experience required, any dangers or hazards involved and the value of job's contribution to your business. He further notesinevitably, not all jobs are identical and certain aspects will involve differences in employment conditions that affect the going rate. Working hours, employment conditions, security of tenure, pension rights and so on vary from firm to firm. The campaign to have a favourable working condition for the journalists is hinged on the challenges of the work, long working hours and its hazardous nature. Journalists occupy a very critical position in any nation's political set up because of the important role they play in shaping events and often setting the agenda for public discourse. However, when it comes to conditions of service and remuneration, Nigerian Journalists are poorly paid, and often not properly recognised or acknowledged. Other non-financial benefits are often lacking. The working environments of most newsrooms are dismal, pathetic and nothing to write home about. Most Journalists do not enjoy non-salary benefits like pensions, sponsored holidays, free medical care, insurance benefits, job growth and advancement as well as job satisfaction.