coverage of the run-up to the ANC’s Polokwane elective conference in December 2007. Most editors totally misjudged the prospects of the incumbent president Thabo Mbeki even though to close observers it was quite clear that the mood in the ANC branches had decisively turned in favour of Jacob Zuma. Wishful thinking obviously coloured too many comments … SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 4.3 3, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 2 2.9 (2006 = 2.8) The media cover the full spectrum of events, issues and cultures, including business / economics, cultural, local and investigative stories. ANALYSIS: Generally, the media are seen as covering the full spectrum of events. But there are serious gaps. Events in rural areas and small towns are only rarely covered. Television news – both on the SABC stations and even more on e-tv - concentrate mainly on events in big cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban. The specialised beat system seems to have been abandoned because it is regarded as unprofitable – the consequence is a lack of in-depth stories. Overall the number of journalists working in the news rooms has been reduced to cut costs. Many managers of publishing companies see their job as no different from that of running any other profit-oriented business, rather than as a mission coupled with a special kind of responsibility like old-fashioned publishers did. On the other hand, in recent years investigative journalism has become a lot stronger. Examples for this positive trend are Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, Noseweek, City Press and SABC’s Special Assignment. Investigate reporting is being encouraged through lucrative awards. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 4.4 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3 3.2 (2006 = 3.2) Gender mainstreaming is promoted in terms of equal participation of both sexes in the production process. ANALYSIS: There are still pay and position disparities that disadvantage women in the work place. The last few years, however, have seen an increase of women in leading positions of media houses. Newspapers appointed a number of women to posts in the upper echelons and there are more women in the news rooms. In the broadcasting sector in particular more women now work as reporters and presenters as well as producers. Even traditionally male jobs such as those of cameramen are now increasingly taken on by camerawomen. So This Is Democracy? 2008 -218- Media Institute of Southern Africa