SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.11 4, 4, 3, 4, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3 3.6 (2005 = 3.2) State print media are not subsidized with tax payers’ money. ANALYSIS: The government-owned Daily News is still fully and directly funded by the government. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.12 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 1.0 (2005 = 1.0) Government does not use its power over the placement of advertisements as a means to interfere with media content. ANALYSIS: Ever since the Botswana High Court in 2001 declared unconstitutional a government instruction to all its departments and enterprises to stop advertising in The Botswana Guardian and the Midweek Sun because of their “persistent negative and often hostile reportage on government and its institutions”, the government has not openly discriminated against the private media in the placement of advertising. There is a perception, though, that if you do not speak well of the ruling party, it can come back to haunt you in a subtle way. The media are not as dependent on government for advertising as they used to be. But there is still not enough openness about the use of public funds to prop up the government media. An earlier study by Dr T. Balule on public sector advertising in the private media showed that there is need for safeguards against government manipulation of the private media. It also found that most government advertising is being placed in government and not the private media. Government should make the process more transparent. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.13 3, 1, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 3 2.4 (2005 = 1.3) The advertising market is large enough to maintain a diversity of media outlets. ANALYSIS: The advertising market is large enough and new titles are coming up all the time. The estimated figure of P400 million for the total amount of ad spend given in 2005 is actually conservative. P300 million is the figure arrived at in a study done by Methaetsile Leepile but this seems to exclude the book industry and ad spend from South Africa. So This Is Democracy? 2007 -160- Media Institute of Southern Africa