SECTOR 4 be approximately 20,000 NAD (1,425 USD). ‘NBC has an open grading system. In the private sector, however, this does not exist and is not open.’ There was a case at The Namibian where a graphic designer was training a new designer and when the new (trainee) designer happened to leave their salary slip in open view, it was discovered that new designer was getting paid double what the incumbent designer was earning. Media practitioners employed at the state media also receive other benefits that they are unlikely to get in (smaller) private media houses, such as housing, medical aid and pension benefits. ‘You underestimate those perks, but when you leave, you realise how good the perks are at NBC.’ That said, a panellist noted that in the private media houses, journalists are able to set themselves apart as ‘real journalists’. ‘You can’t compare journalists in private media with those in the government media. The private guys have been able to establish brands for themselves. The private sector makes the journalists.’ Not much benchmarking takes place in the media industry, but panellists noted that much poaching happens regularly, merely based on salary slips and simply increasing the earnings of the poached journalist by a few hundred dollars. Additionally, there are many cases of journalists leaving newsrooms to become public relations officers. Cases of racial discrimination in the payment of journalists have also been raised – particularly at white-owned media houses. A panellist noted that at one media house there was a case where a white reporter in the newsroom, who did not go out to cover many stories, was being paid almost double what black reporters who were much more productive were being paid. It was noted that the editor took strong exception to this and raised the issue with others in management. It is not clear what the final outcome of this situation was. In terms of safety on the job, a civil society panellist noted, ‘I’m not sure how those in the media feel, but there are times when I’m concerned when they’re writing about international smuggling rings and so forth and I’m not sure if they understand the potential implications of this.’ It was noted that the danger can come from the public itself. There was an incident where a journalist who had written on issues critical of the ruling party was assaulted on a night out. Additionally, Max Hamata has been threatened at his office with a ‘panga’. In some cases, media houses reporting on sensitive cases use the by-line of ‘staff reporter’, so as not to identify the journalist behind the story. ‘The president is on record for saying that nothing physical will happen to a journalist while he is president. What sometimes scares me is the individuals who can walk into your office with a panga. I speak to journalists a lot about being more aware of their surroundings.’ 51 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2018