1.11 A newspaper has wide discretion in matters of taste but this does not justify lapses of taste so repugnant as to bring the freedom of the press into disrepute or be extremely offensive to the public. 2.1 The press should avoid discriminatory or denigratory references to people’s race, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, physical or mental disability or illness, or age. 2.2 The press should not refer to a person’s race, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, physical or mental illness in a prejudicial or pejorative context except where it is strictly relevant to the matter reported or adds significantly to readers’ understanding of that matter. The SBCWC submits that the manner in which the women are portrayed in this article implies that poor people, and in particular poor women, are not entitled to being treated with dignity and respect. At very least, we believe that the women depicted in this article should receive personal apologies from the newspaper as well as public retraction of the sensitive areas that are identified above. Mauritius Alert 13 June 2007 Sexist advertisement on billboards all over Mauritius Media Watch Organisation-GEMSA noted with alarm a sexist advertisement on billboards for a product that has nothing to do with the body of women. The product advertised is for Motorola KRZR and uses the photography of a half naked lady and her mirrored image in a suggestive position with a transparent cloth showing her bare breast and her nude stretched legs. In a letter dated 13 June 2007 addressed to the Road Development Authority protesting against this advertisement, Media Watch Organisation-GEMSA writes “The photomontage and the quality of the photography may be professional and we do understand the idea of “reflection of style” but the concept behind the advert is of very bad taste and downgrading to women. Furthermore we consider this advert to be provocative as well as shocking. It plays into several damaging stereotypes on women and may have a negative effect on how women are perceived. This advert also suggests that when buying a Motorola KRZR, one gets the lady in the same package and this image is certainly not one we want the population to relate to. Women have So This Is Democracy? 2007 -13- Media Institute of Southern Africa