SECTOR 2 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: 2.5 (2010: 2.6; 2008: 4.7; 2006: 3.0) 2.6 Government promotes a diverse media landscape with economically sustainable and independent media outlets. The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) Act sets out to promote a diverse media landscape, with a strong focus on community media, especially radio. Panellists agreed that the government helps to establish community media, but it does not sufficiently promote the economic sustainability of independent media, especially in the community print sector. “The MDDA helps these publications get going but its support is finite. Expectations are raised and then the money is withdrawn and the project collapses.” To assist community radio stations financially, this sector has been lobbying the government to register these stations as Public Benefit Organisations (PBOs) with the South African Revenue Service, which would exempt them from paying income tax, but to date this has not been realised. The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) department does assist community media by co-ordinating government’s media buying to the sector and this is seen as an attempt by government to hold the GCIS accountable for its support to community media. There is a fear, however, that such financial support will be withdrawn if the community media entities are overtly critical of government, even though the MDDA Act stipulates that the state is not to interfere in the content of the community media enterprise. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013 37