SECTOR 4 4.7 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. “Poverty is the driving force behind corruption.” Journalists are divided into two camps – there are those who are not paid well but choose not to succumb to bribes and those who have no integrity and are corrupt. “I have never had to compromise. I have never had to pay for anything. Luckily the company that l work for if we need to go out…almost everything is provided for.” There are numerous instances of scandalous stories being written about top officials, who then find out and offer the journalist money to stop the story from being written. In these cases the journalists take the money and drop the story. 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: 1.1 (2010 = 2.6; 2008 = n/a; 2006 = n/a) 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. Most media houses are running their organisations with limited resources. Salaries are poor and people are forced to take what they are offered because of the high rate of unemployment. Most media houses do not offer medical or any other benefits and in general there is no overtime paid out. “Even if you get to work at seven in the morning and leave at ten, you are told that journalism is not an eight to five job.” Journalists who are injured on the job are not compensated and have to pay their own medical expenses. 58 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2012