SECTOR 4 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt Because of the challenging economic situation, despite being people with influence who are shaping the future of the country, journalists may not even have money to get home each evening. This can leave them open to temptation. ‘In difficult economic situations it is difficult for people to have integrity.’ Sources have taken advantage of this vulnerability, where newsrooms lack cardinal values and virtues. A football team will pay a journalist money just to cover the match – whether the team wins or loses; and there will be times when Non-Governmental Organisations, government or private companies will offer transport to journalists to cover stories. Some media houses have internal codes of conduct and are strict on ethical issues. There have been cases of employees being dismissed when they were found to have been bribed to cover stories,. However, it was admitted that this is something which is often difficult to prove. 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: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2.0 2006: n/a; 2008: n/a; 2010: 1.7; 2012: 2.3; 2015: 1.9 4.6 All journalists and editors do NOT practise selfcensorship Journalism is a passion-driven profession, not a highly paid one, but the current culture in the newsroom lacks the cardinal values and virtues required of the media. In difficult economic times, there can be pressure to self-censor certain stories. This is because the potential revenue through advertising can override ethical issues. Commercial aspects therefore play a role. Banks, for instance, have to publish full page financial statements in newspapers. Because of this potential revenue, there will be an element of pressure on journalists and editors to self-censor themselves because of the commercial interests at play. 41 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZIMBABWE 2020