Kenya 2.11 State print media are not subsidised with tax payers’ money There are no state print media in Kenya, so this indicator does not apply. 2.12 Government does not use its power over the placement of advertisement as a means to interfere with media content. ANALYSIS: Government seems to be placing advertisements selectively. For example, the weekly The Leader, published by Royal Media that is sympathetic to government, is full of government ads while the Standard does not get any business from certain government departments. Government’s indirect influence, however, is more serious. Going on past experience, some potential advertisers seem to be afraid of being seen to do business with certain media that are perceived as critical of government. Examples cited were the now defunct Weekly Review in 1979 and the Kenya Times in 1981 when advertisements were withdrawn after the papers took an increasingly bold stance on public issues. To many advertisers and media houses alike this seems to have been a lesson still far from forgotten. SCORES: Individual scores: 1,1,1,1,1,1,4,4,1,2,2 Average score: 1.7 16 African Media Barometer - Kenya 2005