SECTOR 4 commission deals with complaints from both sectors. Critics say that the CCC defines its mandate too narrowly by not assessing the reasons for breaches of the codes of conduct. 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: 3.1 (2008 = 4.2; 2006 = 4.2) 4.2 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness. By and large South African media do a professional job, but there are many examples of inaccurate and unfair reporting which point to a systemic problem. An entire generation of journalists were removed from (or left) the newsrooms in the 1990s and replaced by younger and less experienced staff. Those who quit either joined public relations companies or went into government service, usually for better pay than that offered by newspapers. There was no organised transition during which there would have been sufficient transfer of skills, mentoring and passing of knowledge. Young journalists often do not have the background and experience that would give their stories depth and context. Their history starts after South Africa achieved democracy in 1994. The cost of print media production and the dependence on advertising means that the print media in general have to orientate their editorial policy towards consumers – and thus neglect the interests of the poor. Most mistakes made are not malicious but due to inexperience and – even more so – the reduction in staff numbers: “The media owners cut through the fat, through to the muscle and thus into bones”. The Independent Newspapers group, for example, has set up a homogenous organisation called Independent Productions (IP) which brings many skills together under one roof and services the broad range of different publications all over the country that are part of the Independent Group. This central hub 60 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2010