SECTOR 4 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 (2010: 3.2; 2008: 1.7; 2006: 3.4) 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. Generally, journalists in South Africa are considered to be above corrupt activities and receiving ‘brown envelopes’ was not endemic to the industry. Unlike in some African countries, like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo for example, journalists don’t expect to be paid to attend press conferences. In the past three years, only a few incidents of corruption within the media fraternity have been made public. In June 2010 Cape Argus journalist Ashley Smith was allegedly paid to write stories with a positive spin on the ANC premier at the time, Ebrahim Rasool. Smith resigned from the newspaper during the disciplinary hearing process. In 2012, City Press revealed that an unnamed journalist was allegedly paid R100 000 to write a positive story about the police, while R50 000 was given to another not to publish an article about a corrupt senior police officer.37 The journalists were not named and it is not known what action the newspaper took in this regard. “I don’t know of any media house where, if a journalist was found to have taken a bribe, they would not be disciplined.” In terms of the ‘freebies’/gifts that journalists are given, however, panellists felt there should be more transparency, and each media house should have a policy about declaring gifts above a certain amount. At the Times Media Group, for example, a policy that is strictly adhered to is that if you cannot consume the freebie in one sitting, you must declare it. Declared items are auctioned off to staff and the money is donated to charity. Other newspapers have similar policies. The SABC’s policies on freebies are not clearly defined and on Morning Live, for example, it is difficult for the presenters to cover events without being given freebies. 37 More details available at: http://www.citypress.co.za/politics/editor-denies-claim-that-journos-were-bribed-by-crimeintelligence-20120517/. 66 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013