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: ✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3.2 (2005: 1.3; 2007: 2.6; 2009: 2.3; 2011: 2.7; 2014: 2.9) 4.3 Salary levels and general working conditions, including safety, for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate The salary levels of journalists and other media practitioners are a major concern, as they are incredibly low. The Ministry of Labour gazetted a figure of 2,720 E (203 USD) per month for journalists working for a periodical or newspaper – some media houses pay within this range. Media advocacy groups have argued that this rate should not be defined by the Ministry of Labour, but by the MICT which is the media’s parent ministry. ‘At some stage, the bigger newspapers proposed an amount of 8,000 E (600 USD) for entry- level journalists, but the smaller papers said that they could not afford that. But we need to strike a balance based on what people can live on.’ ‘It is a lowly paid profession. When a child graduates from university, I can assure you that not many parents would encourage that child to become a journalist.’ Panellists were especially concerned that with such low salaries, journalists could easily fall prey to corruption. ‘The salary levels are deplorable for people who work and interface with powerful people in society. At these rates, it would be easy for a journalist to accept a bribe.’ Salary rates differ from one media house to the next. It was noted that at the Times (which generally pays better than the Observer), an entry-level journalist with a degree could expect to earn around 6,500 E (486 USD). An editor at this paper would earn approximately 12,000 to 15,000 E (897 to 1,120 USD) plus performance-based commissions. For the most part, employees have to negotiate their salaries and generally have greater bargaining power when they have been headhunted based on their previous work. It is for this reason that media houses prefer to promote editors internally rather than seek external (and thus generally more expensive) ones. Media practitioners are not usually compensated for overtime. 48 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ESWATINI 2018