SECTOR 2 There seems to be a lot of self-censorship, especially during an election period – one panellist stated that “there are certain issues that you won’t write about”. Some panellists noted that the quality of stories has declined dramatically in the past two years and that the new leadership at New Era appears to have given in to government pressure. While it might not be an overt mouthpiece for the ruling party, the panellist asserted that “they are not really critical anymore”. 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 (2005: 1.8; 2007: 2.7; 2009: 2.3; 2011: 2.6) 2.4 Transparency of ownership of media houses in print/broadcasting is guaranteed by law and enforced. While information regarding the ownership of media houses might not be disclosed proactively, panellists agreed that “everyone can find out”. You can legally verify and check the company registry and investigate who owns what, as well as the shareholding structures of companies. 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: 4.7 (2005: n/a; 2007: n/a; 2009: n/a; 2011: n/a) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2015 33