SECTOR 4 The media practices high levels of professional standards. 4.1 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness. Reactions from panellists on this indicator were mixed, with one panellist summarizing the full panel’s view in one phrase: “In some cases, yes, in some cases, no!” Reporting “consistently does not meet the required standard”, to the point that sub-standard journalism has become the norm. An “increase in cadre journalism” has been observed, wherein stories are one-sided, reflect “partisan politics”, and are not balanced to ensure all relevant viewpoints. Furthermore, stories are often incomplete, and not well researched. “I’m always left with questions, because there always appears to be something missing.” The background and context to stories is often missing, and journalists do not conduct adequate research to provide a clear and holistic perspective. Follow-up and/or follow-through on reports is also problematic, which affects the level of engagement from civil society, and the public at large. “These days, you find that the byline is longer than the story,” a panellist quipped. Other issues included misquotes being made too often, incorrect captions being provided with photographs, broadcast journalists being unprepared for live interviews, and self-censorship based on fear. “There’s a crisis in the newsroom today. The standards are low. We have reporters who want to be told what to cover, and to have questions written for them.” “That is what is driving people to social media. People are losing faith in mainstream media and are searching for alternatives.” Reasons for this state of affairs include laziness, inadequate staff and overburdened journalists, under-resourced newsrooms, the lack of competence and competitiveness, and poor pay. The “lack of integrity” in newsrooms (see indicator 4.5) among journalists, as well as the “mushrooming of substandard colleges” is also problematic. In this regard, recent graduates were often a burden to editors. “Sometimes you can’t even make sense of what they are writing. They can’t construct a sentence, and they expect the editor, who was not there [at the event, interview, etc] to fill in the blanks.” 58 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013