SECTOR 4 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 (2013:3.3; 2011:2.8; 2009:3.8; 2007:4.5; 2005:4.5) 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. In regard to journalists and media houses in Zambia, integrity and corruption are at times perceived as ”an issue of people trying to survive.” “The prevailing situation of poverty and lack of resources,” provides for, “an environment conducive to corruption.” Media houses, it is argued, often lack the resources to pay for transport or cover accommodation and travel allowances when required. If an organisation or institution sends out an invitation to the media house to cover an event, the media house will usually tell them that all expenses will have to be covered, including transport by the organisation/institution, for their journalists to be able to cover the story. That is why there is “this culture that has developed” for organisations to play a facilitating role in the support of journalists’ transportation, sometimes alongside food and drinks provided, to enable them to do their job to attend to and cover conferences, workshops and other events. If an organisation “wants to carry journalists from different institutions along to a certain province” the organisation will, in agreement with the media house, pay transport, accommodation and the per-diem for these journalists. They may end up getting paid more during such a trip than the amount of their monthly salaries. Those journalists “tend to cover positively” or report about an issue that otherwise would have received little coverage. “These practices have led to expectations to be paid.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2017 61