SECTOR 1 Panellists were not aware of any incidences where journalists were forced to disclose the name of a confidential source. This is despite the many instances in the media where reports note that a ‘person spoke on condition of anonymity’. 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: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓ ✓✓✓✓✓ 3.7 2005: 2.1; 2007: 1.8; 2009: 3.3, 2011: 2.5; 2015: 1.7 1.7 Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens Namibia does not have an Access to Information Act, although a bill has been drafted by civil society and discussed with MICT; there are no local laws that guarantee access to public information by citizens. Article 9 of the ACHPR (which Namibia has ratified) states that: Public bodies hold information not for themselves but as custodians of the public good and everyone has a right to access this information, subject only to clearly defined rules established by law. In practise, however, panellists agreed that the Namibian government has some way to go in making public information more available to its citizens. As one panellist put it: ‘In Namibia, although we’ve signed up to agreements that expressly guarantee access to information, the fact that Namibian legislation doesn’t provide for this makes it difficult. It’s as if it’s a privilege to access that information.’ ‘Going to a ministry and asking for information can present blocks. They hide behind a veil of secrecy and say that they need to have approval first (before providing the requested information).’ Accessing information is especially difficult for citizens based in rural areas, unless this information is made available on the radio. A panellist also noted that for the blind, information published in print media is difficult to access, as no print publishers make information available in braille. 15 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2018