SECTOR 4 participants said. Banks could contribute in a better way to the cause of freedom of expression by facilitating access to credit, thus making journalists economically and financially more independent. However, since all of them are in the hands of influential people closely related to the ruling elite, access to credit may be significantly more difficult for journalists who dare to voice a critical view of the government. The fear of reprisals, generally of an economic nature, is the main cause for self-censorship. And it is not only journalists who practise selfcensorship; it is a phenomenon that affects all professions and segments of society, including lawyers. 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: 1.0 4.6 Owners of established mainstream private media do not interfere with editorial independence. In the past there was no such interference. Recently, there has, however, been a growing tendency for direct editorial interference by media owners. Economic issues have been blamed for this situation. An example was given of the weekly O País, which published an article about what it considered to be a conflict of interest situation involving the country’s attorney general, who at the same time held an executive position in a private legal firm from where he drew a monthly salary of US$7,000. The owner of the newspaper was not pleased with the story and as a result he fired the editor. One underlying reason for this increase in editorial interference is the fact that media owners no longer are journalists as they used to be. Nowadays, there are certain individuals (not mentioned by name) who wield significant political and economic influence and who are buying up private newspapers. Owners used to be journalists themselves, now they are entrepreneurs. There are journalists who were forced to resign because of the mounting pressure they had to endure from the proprietors. Even Radio Ecclesia, which used to be seen as more independent, is now felt to be under intense pressure due to the close ties between its owners and those who hold political power in Angola. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ANGOLA 2010 119