Licensees of other broadcasting services are also disqualified from board membership. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 3.7 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2 2.7 (2006 = 2.1) The editorial independence of the public broadcaster from commercial pressure and political influence is guaranteed by law and practised ANALYSIS: The current squeeze of public funding for the public broadcasters does create room for pressure from advertisers, who are seen as the major sources of funding of public broadcasting. This takes the form of choice of content and choice of placement of their advertisements and programming times. Although the Communications Act 1998 s 87 (2) guarantees the broadcaster “to function without any political bias and independently of any persons”, the witholding of funding by Parliament for the past two years on account of ‘bias’ has largely gone unchallenged and casts doubt on the independence of the broadcaster. Further s 45 (2) of the Act allows the broadcaster to “seek the general direction of the Minister in carrying out its duties” that include those of editorial nature. The bias and general direction advice of the Minister has thus resulted in acts of self-censorship of the public broadcaster. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 3.8 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2 2.7 (2006 = 1.6) The public broadcaster is adequately funded in a manner that protects it from arbitrary interference with its budget ANALYSIS: Both MBC and TVM depend on state subsidy for the bulk of their funding. The 50 per cent subsidy in 2006 and the non-funding in 2007 greatly interfered with their work. The turn around strategies have been to turn to advertising and innovate on some programmes which might earn the operator some income. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: So This Is Democracy? 2008 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 1.1 (2006 = 1.8) -188- Media Institute of Southern Africa