2.9 Government promotes a political and economic environment which allows a diverse media landscape. ________________________________________________________________ ANALYSIS: According to the 1992 Constitution the State has to “take all necessary action to … affording ample opportunity for individual initiative and creativity in economic activities and fostering an enabling environment for a pronounced role of the private sector in the economy” (article 36 (1) (b)). However, specific and deliberate interventions by government to create a cost effective, quality-guaranteed environment for the media in particular have not been noted yet. Critical issues are the cost for printing and raw materials. Import taxes are being levied on newsprint whilst imported books are not taxed. The industry itself could do more to improve the situation. The lack of consensus amongst newspaper operators regarding the setting up of a joint printing facility was cited as an example. In order to achieve economies of scale, reduce production costs and ensure quality, smaller publications could consider mergers. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4 Average score: 3.0 2.10 Private media outlets operate as efficient and professional businesses. ANALYSIS: Some private media houses explicitly target and “exploit” certain ideological markets or niches for political news. For them the normal economics of business are not a priority: their main interest is rather to ensure that radio stations use their papers frequently as part of their newspaper review programmes in order to get across their political messages. This is an ingenious way of spreading their 12