Botswana tive reporting. Many experienced journalists tend to be promoted and stop writing – which makes it necessary to train new staff in investigative reporting all the time. Others leave the profession for greener pastures, especially in public relations. Some newspapers are accused of being too cowardly and not taking up certain issues because they fear people in positions of power and influence. Printing costs are very high and newspapers need advertisements in order to survive. The usual editorial/advertising ratio is 40:60. In view of increasing competition, the media can not afford to antagonize their advertisers. There is ongoing tension between the editorial and advertising teams, as the former always seek to cover only newsworthy events and not those directly linked to commercial interests and designed to make potential advertisers appear in a good light. SCORING: Individual scores: 2, 3, 4, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3 Average score: 3.1 4.4 (2005 = 3.0) Gender mainstreaming is promoted in terms of equal participation of both sexes in the production process. ANALYSIS: Gender imbalance is not a serious problem in the country. Most companies and media houses are equal opportunity employers, with merit being the more important criterion for hiring rather than gender considerations per se. Women are in decision-making positions as owners and/or editors 40 African Media Barometer - Botswana 2007