SECTOR 4 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. Corruption and the lack of integrity exist in Ghana’s media, and “the indicators discussed above create a fertile ground for corruption to take place.” Corruption does not only include money but may also come in the form of favours, i.e., houses, cars, school fees, etc. People will pay for certain stories not to be covered, for certain agendas to be pursued, and so forth. It is important to note that not everyone in the media is corrupt. “For some, it’s a calling. And you can tell, somehow, who is getting something extra.” Panellists noted that media houses and journalists are challenged by the fact that they are visible and reachable by powerful people, making it easy for media houses to buckle under pressure. “In the last administration, the chief of staff did an engagement with the media. He said that he had arranged transport for them, and hoped that they would go out and report. Envelopes of money were given to the journalists, and when questioned on this, the journalists said ‘but the money they gave us was small, it’s not going to influence us’.” This mindset that small amounts of money given to journalists will not influence their reporting has, over time, appeared to normalise the practice of journalists receiving soli, or organisations providing it to journalists; a practice that would otherwise be seen as corruption. Panellists noted different levels of corruption that exist, with some (soli, for example), appearing more tolerable than others that involve larger sums. One panellist argued, “In all organisations, you’ll find a few that are corrupt and who do things that undermine the integrity of the association. But to generalise that they are corrupt with the only reason of taking soli is unfair. When journalists cover a function and are given a stipend, yes, this could have an effect, naturally. But as to the actual report and how to report it, depends on the individual person. It’s not always skewed by the soli [or] freebies.” Another argued that “they reduce the policy to only soli, but they don’t talk about freebies, and that is where the corruption can really be.” Some media houses, such as Multimedia, have policies on freebies and on soli. The company does not allow its journalists to receive soli and reimburses them for any transport costs incurred. However, corruption does not only happen at journalist level. Panellists pointed out that in many instances, media owners themselves may be involved in corrupt dealings. “The power brokers don’t approach the journalists. There are people that are prepared to be corrupt. The businessperson that is held up as a role 66 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2017