million CFA (€229 000). Nonetheless these radio stations have great difficulties to survive. Under the auspices of the National Union of Journalists of Côte d’Ivoire (UNJCI), Ivorian media professionals have voluntarily drawn up a professional code of ethics in 1992. This effort was prompted by the fact that many journalists flout ethical rules, mostly due to lack of training and partisanship. Four years later the newly established organisation, the Observatory for Press Freedom, Ethics and Deontology (OLPED), has been entrusted with the implementation of the code. Some media have established an internal code (Fraternité Matin; RTI, the Ivorian state broadcaster) and have even appointed an ombudsman. OLPED used to list the media and publish the names of journalists at fault but had to stop this practice due to the fact that it exposed the individuals or entities indicted, to physical assault. One can imagine that the media’s repeated shortcomings caused the public to loose confidence in the media. Indeed, between 2001 and 2005 newspaper sales dropped by eight million copies. While the coverage of religious services still dominates, especially in broadcasting, Ivorian media increasingly conduct investigative journalism. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, media that make attempts at conducting investigative journalism often end up having to shut down after a certain time. Ivorian media promote equal opportunities for the country’s various social groups. Women, nonetheless, are few in numbers in the media, which is mostly due to social reasons. Indeed, women often find the working hours challenging and difficult to reconcile with family life. Self-censorship is a widespread practice in Ivorian media. Owners of media bodies, predominantly politicians who pull the strings in the background, blithely trespass on the editorial line. Corruption is equally common and for many journalists constitutes additional revenue if it isn’t already their main revenue, given that salaries are very low or sometimes even plain non-existent. Professional journalists earn around 150,000 CFA (€229) a month. Training opportunities for journalists are available. Journalists, however, can only with difficulty cover the training fees and their employers are never too excited to pick up their workload. Associations and media workers’ unions are active and have played a significant role in securing the advances made by the media in Côte d’Ivoire. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER COTE D’IVOIRE 2012 67