SECTOR 1 Protection of sources is guaranteed by the Social Communication law. Despite this guarantee, however, journalists can be jailed for providing government administrative documents as evidence in court because such documents can be considered as violating rules of administrative secrecy and confidentiality. When it comes to press offences, the burden lays on the journalist – not his/her accuser – to prove the truthfulness of the information published or broadcast. A panellist remarked that: “Cameroon has the tendency of having legal provisions hidden in other texts or pieces of legislation that a judge can use at anytime to condemn a journalist or citizen.” « Cameroon has the tendency of having legal provisions hidden in other texts or pieces of legislation that a judge can use at anytime to condemn a journalist or citizen. » 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: 2.5 (2008 = 1.9) 1.4 Government makes every effort to honour regional and international instruments on freedom of expression and the media. Cameroon has not ratified many international and regional protocols on freedom of expression and media, such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the Florence Protocol. The latter advocates for the exoneration of taxes on media inputs such as newsprint, but advocacy by media organisations has failed to convince the government to ratify the Protocol. Many printing presses - most notably Macacos, a Catholic-run press that prints more than 75% of the country’s newspapers - often complain of punitive taxes and inhibitive customs duties on imported newsprint. Some international and regional instruments such as the Windhoek and Bamako Declarations do not constitute legally binding instruments, and panellists were of the understanding that the government was not obliged to respect them. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2011 69