SECTOR 2 In small towns in the Western Cape, for example, it is difficult to get the Cape Times and it often arrives late. In contrast the Daily Dispatch, published in the Eastern Cape coastal town East London, is striving to grow its market and has ventured beyond its base into villages many hours away. Some tabloids have attempted - but failed - to set up their own distribution networks. Papers such as The Sun seem to be trying to increase their readership by delivering their product to each and every shop, café and other outlets in target areas – but also fail to reach outlying rural villages. 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: 2.0 (2008 = 3.8; 2006 = 3.0) 2.4 The editorial independence of print media published by a public authority is protected adequately against undue political interference. There are no major state-financed and state-controlled print media in South Africa. At the local level, though, there is a growing number of print media published by municipalities and distributed for free, which contain information relating to that particular municipality and the activities of the town or city council. There is a trend for municipalities to place the advertising they have budgeted for in their own publications, thus depriving other operators of revenue. In Durban, for example, the municipality is producing a glossy publication called Freedom Net, a lifestyle magazine which is selling advertising space to mainstream advertisers like shopping centres. As a result the paper is in direct competition with mainstream media and small community publications. Overall the number of such publications is not significant yet and therefore this indicator does not apply in South Africa. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2010 31