SECTOR 4 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 (2006: 2.8; 2008: 2.9; 2011: 2.9) 4.3 Salary levels and general working conditions, including safety, for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. The minimum wage in Ghana is GHC 150 to 200 (USD 67.50 to USD 90.00) per month. However, “Some journalists don’t get anything at all”. In certain cases, journalists who are attached to media houses but are not salaried receive “soli” (‘solidarity) – a small stipend to cover the story – that is either requested by the journalist, or simply offered by the newsmaker to have their story published. At the Daily Dispatch, asking for money from the news source is strictly prohibited, and is grounds for dismissal, because journalists are provided with an allowance for the story coverage. Star or celebrity journalists who are attached to broadcast media houses and are on the air for a limited amount of time, are often paid several times more than the full time journalists in salaries as well as benefits such as travel insurance. Morning show hosts are the best paid. Freelancers or journalists working on contract are not paid well, and for them, “life is extremely precarious by most standards”. There are a number of freelancers, however, who, “if they work hard, may end up being paid the same as regular staff”. To some extent, “media owners/managers are part of the problem in terms of pay and providing the necessary allowances”, and need to reassess their pay structures accordingly. Media houses that take on unionised staff have to cover insurance, maternity, overtime, travel allowances, etc., but “it hasn’t been easy” for them. Salaries at the Daily Graphic are said to be growing at a faster rate than at other media houses. 58 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2013