SECTOR 1 media houses refuse to apply for press cards, as they feel that the police should not be responsible for the accreditation of journalists. Accreditation for special events, such as the recent state visit of South African president Jacob Zuma, is handled by the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology. 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: 4.2 (2008 = 2.9 ; 2006 = 4.2) 1.7 Protection of confidential sources of information is guaranteed by law. Journalists can be imprisoned for not revealing a source, but may maintain their right not to name their sources. In terms of the Criminal Procedures Act, a journalist can be imprisoned for up to 21 days for doing this. The Official Secrets Act carries a similar penalty. The law is used to “whip you” if you don’t reveal your sources, but it does not compel you to disclose the source. Defamation laws (including criminal defamation) also put pressure on journalists to reveal their sources, as these require the respondent to prove that they did not defame the plaintiff. Often, the only person who can verify a story is the confidential source, as was the case in 2005 when The Mirror was sued for defamation for a story accusing the Prime Minister of theft. In this case, the source refused to testify, and the paper was found guilty of defamation, and fined M50 000. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2010 17