4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate to discourage corruption. ANALYSIS: The media environment has been unable to escape corruption which is a widespread phenomenon in Malagasy society. The low salaries of journalists are not the only factor to explain “les felaka” (colloquial term used by journalists themselves to designate acknowledgement in cash or kind, which they expect in return for a favourable article) and the “rackets” being run in the profession. Numerous factors, e.g. sociological, cultural and economic, feature in this context. The environment, characterised by the destruction of value systems, encourages and reinforces corruption which becomes a source of social and financial success. In the absence of general guidelines or structures, salaries are far from being homogeneous and decent. Moreover, most journalists do not enjoy any social benefits appropriate for their profession (medical aid, insurance, etc.). Salaries differ widely among the various media houses. A junior journalist is paid on average 140 000 Ar and more than 200 000 Ar (including benefits) in some companies. By way of comparison, master’s graduates start with a salary of 120 000 Ar in the civil service. At the end of their career and if they are outstanding, they earn 320 000 Ar. (1 Euro = 2 780 Ar; 1 Dollar US = 2 172 Ar). Even within organisations there is no salary scale and salaries are negotiated according to degrees/diplomas, but most of all according to competence and experience. Newspaper journalists are better paid than most of their colleagues in broadcasting, particularly those of small channels and stations. Freelancers at the national station and channels, who often do the bulk of the work, are among the worst paid staff, earning 40 0000 Ar to 60 000 Ar. In search of excellence, an attractive salary policy should be adopted to reward merit and performance. The awarding of a prize for journalists by a respected institution could also be envisaged as an added incentive. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2 Average score: 2.0 4.9 Training facilities offer formal qualification programmes for journalists as well as opportunities to upgrade their skills. ANALYSIS: Very few media houses have a proper training policy. They are hesitant to invest in training due to the high rate of turnover in the industry: once the training has been 44