Abstract
The fight against corruption in Nigeria today is one giant project that requires the participation of all and sundry for it to succeed. But the mass media being the watchdog of the society has an overriding duty to lead the war in order to ensure its success. This is for the simple reason that the media has the wherewithal to investigate and expose corruption in its entire ramification and wherever it is taking place because of the privilege which it enjoys of having access to information that may not be easily available to ordinary citizens. Despite this pivotal role of the media in the fight against corruption, the industry is grappling with an endemic corruption in its rank. This type of corruption manifests in the form of “brown envelope” journalism that is largely facilitated by poor and sometimes non-payment of salary for months, among others. The paper which analyses the role law and ethics in combating corruption in the media, finds that brown envelope syndrome which is common among media practitioners, is a result of the failure of regulatory bodies such as, the Nigeria Press Council, to enforce the laws and ethics regulating the profession. It is therefore recommended that for brown envelope and other corrupt practices in the media to be fought, regulatory bodies most collaborate to enforce relevant laws and ethics and sanction defaulters accordingly.
Keywords: Media, Law, Ethics, Corruption