State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 their horizon beyond this point as they are not free to freelance elsewhere. Working conditions and envelope journalism Findings from a recent study by MISA (2003) highlights the high level of unemployment within the media industry. A sample of 198 journalists in 14 regions indicates that 68% are unemployed, surviving as freelance reporters. 93% of these work under unknown terms of contract. With regard to payment, 82.83% of freelance reporters say they are paid on an irregular basis. Matters are not much better for those in permanent employment either. Because of unclear terms of employment, many of them do not even know their grade and salary scales within their respective organizations (9.37%). The remaining 90.62% work on unknown terms of employment. While the monthly salary for an average employed journalist ranges from 72000 to 90000 shillings, freelancers are paid an average of Sh 1 000 per story or photograph used. This is equivalent to Sh 30000 per month, which is less than the official minimum wage of Sh 45000. This partly explains why it is very common for journalists attending training workshops to be more interested in the sitting allowance that the funding agency provides, than in the training itself. This has also led to the flourish of ‘ envelope journalism’. There is total agreement among journalists in Tanzania that lack of job security, low pay, and appalling working conditions are levying a cruel tax on professional excellence, and that ethical standards set out by various professional bodies will remain dead letters, unless the environment in which journalists work and live is understood. In terms of working hours, while under the Employment Ordinance Cap 366, an employee other than a domestic worker should not work for more than 45 hours per week or eight hours per day, without payment of overtime, the majority of journalists in Tanzania (45.45%), work more than 12 hours a day. This is equivalent to over 84 hours per week. Interestingly, only 18.68% in the study area said they received overtime payment. Ethical problems in the media are linked to labor and working conditions which has fostered bribery, freebies and payola, blackmail, deception, sycophancy, intellectual theft, intrusion into privacy and above all corruption. While journalists single out trade unions as a very useful avenue for workers to aggregate and articulate their interests, only 9.09% of journalists belong to trade unions. Even these are disillusioned with the Tanzania Union of Journalists (TUJ) describing it as completely useless. Part of the problem is the fragile nature of trade unions, which are still emerging after 40 years of demobilization and disorganization of workers. In conclusion, a concerted effort in the institutionalization of the media into a Fourth Estate is recommended. Increased focus should be placed on the constitutional guarantee of media freedom and freedom of expression, improved working environments, professional training and media accountability to the people. So This Is Democracy? 2003 91 Media Institute of Southern Africa