Cameroon 4.7 Owners of private media do not interfere with editorial independence. ANALYSIS: Owners of private media organisations interfere frequently in the work of the journalist because of personal as well as socio-economic and political interests. Those of them who are political barons would want to know how stories about the Head of State or the ruling party to which they belong have been written. Some would advise against stories that are critical of the powers that be for fear of economic victimisation. It becomes difficult to talk about interference in the case where the owner or proprietor is at the same time the editor-in-chief and a reporter. SCORES: Individual scores: 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 Average Scores: 1.1 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate to discourage corruption. ANALYSIS: The salaries of journalists in Cameroon are disappointingly low. The journalists take-home at the end of the month, cannot even “take him home”. Journalist working with state–owned media can boast of some minimum comfort. But the situation of the private media journalist is very disheartening. Not only is the salary low, but it is very irregular. They are therefore forced to turn to “gombo” (bribe) to be able to supplement their salaries. Even journalists in retirement continue to work to be able to have some “gombo” (bribe). Paradoxically, even the journalists of the public media who are not seen to be that desperate, run faster than their counterparts of the private media to grab “gombo”. African Media Barometer - Cameroon 2008 37