SECTOR 4 “The issue of bread-and-butter is so prevalent and the salaries are generally so low that journalists can be corrupted.” There have also been instances of certain media houses being “blacklisted” by the government, and therefore not invited to attend certain government events, because they did not give positive coverage in the past. 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: 2.0 (2005 = n/a; 2007 = n/a; 2009 = 2.5) 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. Salaries for media practitioners are generally thought to be getting worse, with private media salaries generally lower than those offered in the state media, especially when one considers the benefits available to state employees, such as housing, medical, vehicle, and education and ‘retention allowance for graduates’. An entry level salary for a state print media journalist in Lusaka is about K2.1 million (about US$440) a month, plus K1 million for housing; while a senior state media journalist can expect to earn about K6 million (US$1,250) to K7 million (US$1,460). An entry level salary for a reporter in the private print media in Lusaka is about K1.5 million (US$313), after tax, while a senior editor in the private media can earn between K3 million (US$626) and K5 million (US$1,043). Because there is no union for private media journalists in Zambia, they have no means of addressing the working conditions or salary levels in an organised manner. The state media journalists have a choice to belong to a number of different labour movements (see indicator 4.10). AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2011 63