SECTOR 4 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: 3.7 (2008 = 4.3) 4.4. Equal opportunities regardless of race, social group, gender/sex, religion, disabilities and age are promoted in media houses. There is a strong sectarian connotation to the media in Mauritius which is often referred to as “presse Creole”. A journalist’s climb up the promotional ladder can be restricted in certain media houses if his or her profile is not ‘politically correct’. A major event in the media fraternity was the first ever appointment of a Hindu editor at L’Express in 2005. Subsequently, all the other staff above and below him were expected to be Creole. All sectors in Mauritius promote a particular profile. In the private sector, the chances of getting promoted are much higher if you are white, while in the public sector it is believed that people will go further up the ladder if they are Vaish. The caste system also prevails within organisations, and appointments are often made based on the sect of the person in question. Even friendships and relationships are based on these sectarian grounds. The new generation of journalists entering the newsrooms are also encouraged to be partisan in their dealings with colleagues. Many of the younger, less experienced personnel will not take orders from their senior and more experienced colleagues because they consider them to be of a lower caste. It was related that during a conversation with a journalist working at a weekend paper, the editor of the paper made an objectionable comment about how the Vaish (a sect) smell dung. The journalist’s retort was that: “these people who smell dung are leading the country, so let’s show some respect.” With that remark he walked out. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MAURITIUS 2010 55