SECTOR 2

creation, the head of state commits to pushing up the telephone and internet
penetration rate to more than 75% over the next five years. In the area of leisure,
sports and arts the presidential plan envisages that the process of digitalisation
and satellite transmission of TVT, the national broadcaster, will be finalised over
that period.

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: 			

1.5

2.10 Government does not use its power over the
placement of advertisements as a means to interfere
with editorial content.
According to the panel the government does not only use its power over the
placement of advertisements by state and parastatal bodies in this manner. What
is more, one participant said, the use of this weapon in order to punish those media
which are less accommodating of the regime has been defended and justified by
the President of the Republic himself.
Questioned on this subject by a professional organisation, the President is said to
have responded that this was perfectly normal and that if the media criticised the
government they could not expect to get any advertising manna from the state.
In any case, the procedures of placing state advertising and the way the cake is
divided remain murky and are certainly not objective. “They pretend but the dice
are loaded”, as one panelist commented.

106

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TOGO 2010

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