SECTOR 4 4.6 Journalists and editors do not practice selfcensorship in the private broadcasting and print media Journalists and editors in the private media do, at times, practise self-censorship. Panellists posited that this may be due to the limitations of their own knowledge, fear for their own security or their job, fear of losing advertising dollars, or to remain on good terms with their friends. ‘People have been fired for what they’ve said or written. My concern is especially for students who have just started as journalists as well as for freelancers, who are paid very little, have no security and are in a delicate position. They are easily impressionable by those in power and can censor themselves. So, they get the press release and do “copy and paste” journalism so as not to get in trouble.’ Media owners may also be compromised. ‘Namibia is a small country with respect to population and people may easily take sides with their friends.’ A panellist noted how a story on Windhoek Gymnasium played out on the front pages of a newspaper, simply because the editor was close friends with the principal at the school and was using the newspaper to defend his name. At Informanté, panellists noted that, ‘There is a thin line between journalism and PR [Public Relations]. For example, when Quinton van Rooyen11 says something, it’s front page news.’ ‘The paper has a very strange structure, with a head of the media sector and an editor. It is very clear that the editor there doesn’t call the shots with respect to the paper and there is no independent editorial policy.’ 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: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2018 ✓✓ 2.7 2005: 3.0; 2007: 2.9; 2009: 2.9; 2011: 2.1; 2015: 2.7 11 Quinton van Rooyen is the owner of the Trustco Group, which owns the Informanté Newspaper. 54 ✓ ✓