Watchdog and even a Charter on the rights and duties of Gabonese journalists. Nonetheless, professional standards, ethics and deontology are regularly flouted. The material working conditions of journalists are rather poor. Wages in the private media are very low and sometimes non-existent. Only the daily Union ensures adequate income to its employees, as well as insurance. In the public sector, wages are unequal and external contributors are the most vulnerable. Apart from Gabon Television and Africa Number One, there is no real trade union to defend the rights of media players. Associations exist but are not very effective. The majority of journalists are not unionised and they mobilise only once one of them is attacked or dragged before the courts. In a situation such as this, it is not surprising that corruption is rampant. Many Gabonese journalists make use of a practice commonly known as gombo, which could include anything from, transport costs, installation costs, or the cost of induction. Some are even entitled to a “maintenance fee”. This money and / or material favours are granted to a journalist in order ensure his loyalty to a specific individual, political party, etc. The consequences are, among others, selfcensorship, by not hurting the benefactor, the advertiser or the regime. It is estimated that nearly half of Gabonese journalists have received no formal training. However, there are training opportunities. This could either consist of a diploma course, on-the-job training and / or seminars. However, any new qualification does not automatically guarantee promotion. Indeed, there is no proactive policy of promoting equality of opportunity in the newsroom. Political affiliation is a criterion that counts. On the other hand, there is no discrimination based on age, sex or religion. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GABON 2016 63