SECTOR 3 3.5 Office bearers with the state and political parties, as well as those with a financial interest in the broadcasting industry, are excluded from possible membership on the board of the state/public broadcaster. There is no such exclusion from membership on the board of political office bearers or of persons with a financial interest in the industry stipulated in the law. 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: 1.6 3.6 The editorial independence of the state/public broadcaster from political influence is guaranteed by law and practised. Although the Constitution says that all media under state control should have the “capacity to entertain diversity in the expression of opinion” (article 29 (4)), such diversity is not reflected in the programmes of Ethiopian Radio and Television. This points to a lack of editorial independence, possibly as a result of the fact that most members of the top management are members of the ruling party and all staff members are government employees. One indication of direct political influence being exerted could be the fact that the Head of the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency was recently elected as a member of the central committee of the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), one of the affiliate organisations of the ruling party. One panellist asked whether it wasn’t the right of the government to use government media, but the majority of the panel disagreed with this view. 42 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ETHIOPIA 2010