SECTOR 4 4.7 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. There is a lot of corruption in the media industry - “particularly in the private media”. This comes in the form of money and gifts in return for favourable coverage. The low salaries paid to journalists contributes to this state of affairs. “There is a lot of corruption, but we don’t like reporting on ourselves,” a panellist stated. This corruption goes to the highest level, with large companies paying media to kill controversial stories. Some media houses require their staff to declare gifts, but panellists felt that this is a difficult policy to enforce. “Where do you draw the line on the issue of gifts?” one panellist asked. “Journalists attend events because there are gifts.” 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: 2.6 (2008 = n/a; 2006 = n/a) 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. On the whole, media houses pay poorly because they are struggling to break even. Private media rely heavily on volunteers or freelancers, and only a few established private media houses pay regular salaries to their staff. Volunteers are paid incentives. Decision makers tend to be paid well, but those who do not take decisions are paid poorly. The entry-level salary for a journalist in the private media is around M800 - 1500 per month, while in the state media, someone with a degree can expect to earn a gross salary of M4500 in their first job. 58 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER LESOTHO 2010