SECTOR 4 A media house under new management is considering the cancellation of medical aid because they feel: “it’s a waste of money, in terms of profit margins. So their argument is: ‘if you want medical aid, pay for yourself. Why should the company pay for you?’ Due to the large number of lawsuits that the company was facing, they also decided to downgrade their legal insurance.” “One of the things that I realised is that our bosses - the directors - have no understanding of the industry, so obviously this is why the payment is also bad. They would understand how much you put in but they don’t understand the risk that you go through, that you have to be in when you’re getting a story or whatever that you’re doing. So that is also a huge hindrance; it impacts on your internal independence, on practically everything.” 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: 2.2 (2005 = n/a; 2007 = n/a; 2009 = 2.7; 2011 = 2.0) 4.4 Journalists and other media practitioners are organised in trade unions and/or professional associations, which effectively represent their interests. There are a number of media organisations which function at different levels such as the Press Council, the Press Club (these have been formed through the Press Council), the Editors Forum and MISA. When senior journalists and editors left the profession, it also affected the institutional structures and the former Botswana Union of Journalists disintegrated. Efforts are being made to revive it. The Botswana Journalists’ Association (BoJA) collapsed when its founding member passed away. The Botswana Media Women’s Association (BOMWA) has not held an AGM in the last few years, while female sports journalists have formed their own organisation under the Botswana National Sports Council. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Botswana 2014 55