SECTOR 1 1.6 Confidential sources of information are protected by law and/or the courts Article 50 of the Social Communication law of 1990 states that the protection of confidential sources of information is guaranteed and can only be revealed at the request of a judge in chambers. However, journalists continue to come under pressure to reveal their sources outside the legally stipulated condition. Panellists noted that most attacks on journalists are intended to intimidate them to reveal their sources. Investigating officers often try to ‘trump up’ charges against journalists as a means of extracting news sources. ‘Sometimes, no one is disputing the accuracy of what you have written,’ said a panellist, ’all they want to know is how you got the information and who gave it to you.’ Pressure on journalists to reveal their sources comes from both public authorities and private organisations or individuals. However, private citizens often lack the resources to persuade journalists to reveal their sources and rely on corrupt security and judicial officers. ‘Private companies may not be coming after the journalist but are trying to discover [the] leaks [people] within their companies so that they can be fired,’ explained one panellist. Due to improving standards and professionalism within the industry, journalists have become more capable of resisting these pressures compared to in past years. 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: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓✓ 4.2 (2008 = 2.1; 2011 = 1.4; 2014 = 3.9) 1.7 Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens Access to information in Cameroon is hindered by many factors: 1. Lack of Freedom of Information Legislation The Social Communication law of 1990 grants journalists free access to public documents only as far as other laws allow. This means that while access to public information is free, this freedom might be denied by other pieces of legislation. It is, therefore, commonplace for public officials to deny journalists access to information on grounds such as professional secrecy, defence secrets and reserve 17 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2018