being aired. There is therefore a need for the public broadcaster to be adequately funded and not compete for advertisements because it becomes difficult to balance its public role when it has to look for money. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 3.12 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4 3.6 (2006= 3.1) The public broadcaster offers as much diverse and creative local content as economically achievable. ANALYSIS: Content is prescribed by law. It is 60:40 local content vis -a - vis foreign content. TBC is the only broadcaster so far that is trying to comply. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 4, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4 3.6 (2006= 3.9) Overall score for sector 3: Sector 4. 4.1 2.9 (2006= 2.7) The media practice high levels of professional standards. The media follow voluntary codes of professional standards which are enforced by self-regulatory bodies. ANALYSIS: There is in place since 1995 a voluntary, non-statutory Media Council which was established by the media industry. The Council enforces a Code of Ethics for Media Practitioners endorsed by the members of the Council. The Public can bring complaints on alleged violations of the Code of Conduct against the media to the council for arbitration and mediation. Compliance rate of the decisions of the Council is quite high estimated at around 90 per cent. The Council will need to be more pro-active and comment on ethical transgressions as they happen instead of waiting for people to come and complain. The challenge is also to encourage individual media houses to institute in-house peer mechanisms of professional ethical conduct such as style books and codes of conduct. The Nation Media Group has an internal code which is enforced and journalists risk being fired if they do not comply. So This Is Democracy? 2008 -240- Media Institute of Southern Africa