Consultants Turning Media Owners into Beggars, CJPAN Tells Banks, MDAs, Firms

 Consultants Turning Media Owners into Beggars, CJPAN Tells Banks, MDAs, Firms

…Association to engage stakeholders, urges journalists to remain calm

The Celebrity Journal Publishers Association of Nigeria has accused consultants and middlemen of gradually pushing many Nigerian media owners into financial hardship by taking control of advertising and media support budgets meant for news organisations.

The association said the growing influence of consultants engaged by government agencies, banks, telecommunications firms and multinational companies had created a system where media owners no longer enjoyed direct access to corporate advertising opportunities.

Speaking on behalf of the association, CJPAN President, Comrade Funmi Olowosegun, appealed to journalists and media owners to remain calm, assuring them that the body would engage relevant institutions and stakeholders to address what he described as a disturbing trend threatening the sustainability of journalism.

According to her, the media remains a critical pillar of democracy and national development, serving as the bridge between government, businesses and the public through information dissemination, public enlightenment and accountability.

She, however, lamented that many media organisations were now struggling to survive because consultants had become "gatekeepers" who determine which media houses receive financial support from corporate organisations.

"The Nigerian media is gradually being reduced to a begging profession. This is not support; this is exploitation. Consultants should manage reputation and crisis communication, not control media budgets meant for publishers," Olowosegun said.

The association noted that media organisations were battling rising operational costs, including salaries, office rent, diesel, internet services, technology, equipment and distribution, while support from many organisations had continued to decline.

It recalled that advertorial placements that once attracted not less than N350,000 had, in many cases, been replaced with annual media support ranging between N20,000 and N45,000, describing the development as unsustainable.

While acknowledging that a few corporate organisations had adopted better media engagement models, CJPAN cited the example of a financial institution that provides N500,000 every six months to journalists, amounting to N1 million annually, describing the initiative as a model worthy of emulation.

The association said other organisations offered between N150,000 and N500,000 once a year, while some merely distributed gift vouchers valued between N10,000 and N100,000 after receiving media coverage throughout the year.

It also decried the increasing practice of corporate organisations sending multiple press releases daily to online media platforms with the expectation that such materials would be published free of charge.

According to the association, media organisations bear the cost of editing, designing, publishing, hosting and promoting such reports despite receiving little or no financial support.

CJPAN warned that continued financial pressure on media organisations could weaken ethical journalism and expose practitioners to professional compromise.

"When journalism is driven by survival rather than ethics, everyone loses the institution, the media and the public," the association said.

The body called on ministries, departments and agencies, banks, telecommunications companies and multinational corporations to return to direct engagement with media owners, arguing that such a system would promote transparency, accountability and stronger corporate-media relationships.

It also urged organisations to establish media budgets that reflect current economic realities, publish transparent criteria for media partnerships and remove unnecessary bottlenecks created by consultants and intermediaries.

CJPAN, however, challenged media owners to strengthen professionalism by providing credible audience data, demonstrating measurable impact and developing stronger value propositions for advertisers.

"The Nigerian media helped build many of today's respected brands, shaped public opinion, promoted businesses and defended democracy. We cannot continue to be treated as an afterthought," the association stated.

The association said it would continue consultations with relevant stakeholders while urging journalists to remain professional as efforts intensify to restore dignity, sustainability and fairness to Nigeria's media industry.