SECTOR 2 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: 2.9 (2013:3.0; 2011:4.1; 2009:1.7; 2007:n/a; 2005:n/a) 2.12 Government does not use its power over the placement of advertisements as a means to interfere with editorial content. Media houses rely on advertisements as one of their sources of income. The government appears to be “very selective on where they advertise.” There is an “unwritten rule” that most government agencies prefer to advertise in stateowned media outlets, which they list as “first priority” when it comes to the placement of advertisements. Additionally, it seems that there is an expected (non-critical) standard of content to be adhered to in order to be able to receive advertisements uninterruptedly. A former minister was said to have threatened to stop advertising in The Post based on their reporting. What remains problematic is that some government agencies can be unreliable in paying their advertising bill as “they [government agencies] place adverts but don’t pay for it.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2017 41