SECTOR 4 Article 167(b) of the constitution stipulates that one of the functions of the NMC is to: … ensure the establishment and maintenance of the highest journalistic standards in the mass media, including the investigation, mediation and settlement of complaints made against or by the press or other mass media (Article 167 (b) 1992 Constitution). The NMC has also developed several guidelines for professional conduct and reporting. Examples include the Guidelines for Fair and Equitable Coverage of Political Parties by State-Owned Media, and the Guidelines for Political Journalism. However, these guidelines or the NMC’s code of ethics are not enforced in any way, and the commission is considered weak. A few media houses employ staff specifically to monitor content, how well it sells, and the direction of reporting to be taken in this regard. This direction may sometimes counter professional standards, as they do so in the interest of what sells, and not necessarily to ensure high standards of ethical and professional reporting. A few panellists felt that one of the challenges in setting and ensuring high professional standards of conduct is in the constitutionally protected notion of “unrestricted entry” into the profession. The NMC has not set any minimal requirements or registration processes for journalists, in line with Section 2(2) of the NMC Act which states that “In carrying out its functions the Commission shall not by regulations or any other act, require any person to obtain or maintain a licence as a condition for the establishment of a newspaper, journal or any other written publication.” Some media houses set their own minimum requirements. Joy FM, for example, requires that its employees have a first degree, or that they come from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). “The difficulty for GJA is that the majority of practitioners in local language stations have either just finished secondary school, or may not have been to school at all. But because they don’t have a diploma, they can’t enter the Ghana Institute of Journalism. So how do you enforce a code against someone who is not a member?” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2013 57