SECTOR 4 “personal greed”, because in most cases, journalists are provided with subsistence and travel allowances when going on assignment. The Daily Mail, for example, requires that a reporter receive an allowance before going out. While several examples exist of journalists compromising their integrity, there are also many examples of journalists who stand up against and report incidences of attempted corruption. In 2006, a senior journalist at The Post, outed MP Max Mukwakwa who had offered him an inducement with the intent of influencing the reporter’s coverage. The matter was reported to the ACC, and the MP was arrested for offering a bribe. Corruption also takes place at the editorial level. “There’s no reporter who makes a decision about the publication of the story. Higher staffed people are also accepting bribes.” Two specific examples were provided, where corruption had been attempted at the editor level at respective media institutions. In one case, the editor took the bribe, while in another case, the money was sent back to the woman who had offered the bribe, with a letter stating that the publication’s employees were on a payroll, and would not accept any sort of inducement. Taking a bribe is not only risky for the giver, but also for the receiver of that bribe, as it compromises integrity and reputation. An example was given of a certain businessman who liked publicity and had the tendency to pay journalists to ensure such publicity. He would “even go and complain at the media house if his story was not published and tell editors, ‘but I gave this reporter a sum to publish my story’”. Institutional problems were also highlighted as a possible factor propelling journalists to take bribes. Staff members at the Times of Zambia have not had not had their salaries paid for some time. “This raises a question as to how they’re surviving”. “It’s a crisis. Something needs to be done urgently.” There is a general perception that corruption is related to the pay that media practitioners receive. “If people are getting good salaries, corruption will not be there.” But corruption also often amounts to “personal greed”, and can take place irrespective of the pay level. Institutional policies with respect to receiving gifts from news sources are often unclear and differ from one media house to the next. At the Daily Mail, there is “no pronounced policy” and “no clear action” with regards to gifts. At The Post, however, “everything has to be declared. If the editors do not agree with the gift and intention of the gift, it is taken back.” Young journalists are especially vulnerable to these gifts. “What I find difficult are the big corporations and the generous gifts they give. Sometimes they’re 66 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013