4.7 Owners of private media do not interfere with editorial independence. ANALYSIS: Generally, proprietors keep as far away as possible from the newsrooms. There are cases of proprietors who make their investments, but then are never concerned with the development of their own investments. This could find explanation in the fact that most media organisations are loss making, thus making them less attractive even for their owners. This can be seen as a positive development, bearing in mind that it can contribute to editorial independence, without interference from owners. But the downside of it is that if the attitude of media owners is that of shying away from their own investments because they are not making as much money, then the long-term consequences could be worse, given that it means the media will not have the new investments needed for the overall development of the media sector in Cape Verde. SCORES: Individual scores: 4, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4, 4, 3, 4 Average score: 3.8 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate to discourage corruption. ANALYSIS: Participants were of the view that it is not appropriate to link corruption to low salaries. Low salaries should not be used as an excuse to justify unethical behaviour by journalists. In any case, particularly in as far as Cape Verde is concerned, salary levels in the media are relatively higher compared to many African countries. The average salary for a journalist in Cape Verde is above the equivalent of one thousand dollars. In addition to that, working conditions for journalists are also good. SCORES: Individual scores: 5, 3, 4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4 Average score: 4.0 44