SECTOR 1 servants’ internet use, and this consultant handles requests for providing or denying access to requested web sites. “If you are lucky you can have the web site opened the same day, but if the consultant is busy then it might take a week. The newsroom wanted to set up a Facebook page and had to battle it out with the consultant for two weeks to get the decision approved.” The only way for state journalists to bypass the system is to use their own private internet accounts, for which they have to pay at their own expense. “There was an attempt by government to shut topix.com down, but they didn’t know how to” In the past, government tried to charge Internet Service Providers (ISPs) high licensing fees if they thought the ISP was serving “a particular constituency”. “The state attempts to monitor what general citizens are accessing via the Internet, but doesn’t have the capacity to do it…yet.” 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: 3.2 (2008 = n/a ; 2006 = n/a) 1.11 Civil society in general and media lobby groups actively advance the cause of media freedom. In Lesotho, the main lobby groups for free expression and media freedom issues are MISA-Lesotho, the Transformation Resource Centre, Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA), and the Lesotho Council of NGOs. The general pattern that exists in the country is that one organisation tends to take overall responsibility for particular issues. In the case of free expression and media freedom, this organisation is MISA. Other civil society groups then become involved in advocacy activities on an ad hoc basis when their target group is affected, and if resources are available to fund their involvement. As a result, AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2010 21