SECTOR 2 migration, and the policy remains absent from the public sphere. “A lot of time has been wasted, and I don’t know if that time can be recovered.” 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: 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. The government uses its power regarding the placement of advertisements, as in the case of the Daily Nation, whereby government instructed its ministries and agencies not to advertise in the newspaper because of its critical stance. “There was (also) a time when the previous government did not place ads in The Post because of its criticism of the MMD. However, at the time, the government knew that it needed to advertise in The Post because it had the largest circulation and this could not be ignored. It was noted that this ‘ban’ was never formally pronounced or lifted. Although the government tries to wield its advertising power in this way, it is also not completely reliable in paying its bills on time. As such, restrictions on adspend may not have a real impact on the sustainability of media houses. “You’d be amazed to know how much government actually defaults on paying for ads.” The Post has been lucky to get advertising from government, but more than half hasn’t been paid for yet, and it looks like it won’t be paid any time soon.” A directive was issued recently by the government for advertising payments to be made upfront. The Public Procurement Policy clearly states that tender advertisements should be placed in both private and public media. So, legally, the government “can’t be selective” about where it advertises tenders. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013 43