thought within society. However, these efforts are severely constrained in the political domain and the broadcaster uses all kinds of ingenious methods to avoid those questions that might offend or reflect badly on the powers that be. It is only during election periods that air times will be distributed equitably between the different parties according to agreed criteria and following regulatory provisions. Regarding local content, the panel noted some laudable initiatives such as the regional journal at Radio Lomé and the use of local languages. State television does send out teams to collect information in the regions but because of a lack of means and infrastructure such material rarely makes it on to the screen - except for coverage of the head of state whenever he travels around the country. Community radio is a relatively new phenomenon in Togo. No legal provision has yet been made for this sector. The media have created an Observatoire Togolais des Médias (OTM – a media observatory body). This body of peers deals with questions of professional standards and ethics. OTM has authority because its views are being considered in the distribution of state aid to the media. However, it does not enjoy the trust of the entire media fraternity because it is said to be often biased in favour of the authorities. The lack of training, according to some panelists, is to blame for the fact that journalists sometimes invent information or do not verify the facts before publishing their stories. They are also open to manipulation. This has historical reasons, panelists say: the first journalists were mostly political activists or “freedom fighters”. Up until today this taking of sides still manifests clearly in most newspapers. Nevertheless, one panelist warned against generalising about the lack of objectivity in the Togolese media. Some, he said, were doing a good job. Popular demand, however, was for an easy, entertaining read and professional papers were therefore hard to sell. Investigative journalism is not one of the strong points of the Togolese media. Some panelists believe that this is due to a lack of training; others say there have been training activities in this regard but they did not make any discernible impact. Efforts are said to be made towards creating gender equality in the Togolese media and appoint more women to positions of authority. However, while there are more and more female journalists in the field, their promotion in the organisations is often hindered by cultural and social constraints. Self-censorship is common practice in the Togolese media. In the public/state sector particularly, journalists deliberately hold back for fear of losing their job. In the private sector, self-censorship is mostly caused by fear of retributions from the people covered and quoted in their stories. This applies particularly in the case 78 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TOGO 2010