SECTOR 2 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: ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓ 2.9 (2008 = 1.6; 2011 = 1.7; 2014 = 2.5) 2.4 Transparency of ownership of media houses in print/broadcasting is guaranteed by law and enforced The Social Communication law of 1990 requires that the identity of the owners and shareholders of media organisations are made known. The law requires newspapers to carry a masthead of publishers, editors and journalists, and to publish the list of owners at least once a year. Different rules apply to broadcast corporations, but equally, they seek to improve transparency of ownership. However, loopholes in the regulatory framework make it easy to hide the identity of proprietors. For example, when news organisations are incorporated as limited liability companies, the prevailing business law protects the anonymity of shareholders. Furthermore, it is well-known in practice that the real owners of many news organisations, including major dailies, use other people to act as fronts on their behalf. For instance, it is widely suspected that certain members of government and other holders of public office secretly own newspapers and broadcast outlets, which may be in violation of the law. One panellist observed that it is difficult to apply the law on transparency of ownership because ‘those that need to apply the law are those concealing their identities.’ 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: 26 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2018 ✓ ✓✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓ 2.3 (2008 = n/a; 2011 = n/a; 2014 = 3.4)