The coverage of events and issues in most print media is generally regarded as accurate and fair, with most media – private and state, broadcasting and print – attempting to cover the full spectrum of life in the country. There is, however, a serious lack of investigative reporting and insufficient analysis of pertinent issues. NBC’s radio and television news bulletins have noticeably different approaches: TV news as a rule tend to report first what the president or a minister said or did and focuses on the governing SWAPO, at the expense of other political parties and organisations or individuals deemed not to be supporting the governing party. Radio news seem to be less rigidly regulated, with a strong focus on development issues. Commercial radio stations tend to avoid local political news because of possible controversy. Media reform efforts in the coming years need to focus on the future of public broadcasting in Namibia and access to information legislation. To support such reforms and to enhance freedom of expression in general media need to find more constructive and better ways to engage with citizens in general. Civil society appears to have lost the sense of activism and energy so visible in the struggle for independence before 1990. One of the contributing factors to the current complacency may be a lack of media literacy in the country: many people are not aware of the vital role that the media does and is meant to play in a democratic society. Media lobby groups are not pro-active enough in educating the public and enlisting their support in this regard. More often than not they seem to be confining themselves to reacting to developments and merely defending the media when it is threatened. 8 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2009